European Championships: Athlete loses gold for removing shirt
- Published
European Championships: Steeplechaser disqualified for shirt strip
France's Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad has been stripped of his 3,000m steeplechase gold medal at the European Championships for taking his shirt off on the home straight.
Mekhissi-Benabbad put his top in his mouth after pulling clear of the field.
Initially he appeared to be shown a yellow card by an official but was subsequently disqualified.
Frenchman Yoann Kowal now wins gold, Poland's Krystian Zalewski gets silver and Spain's Angel Mullera wins bronze.
BBC Radio 5 live's Allison Curbishley |
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"Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad just finds a way to make people hate him. He's got history and he just winds people up. Taking off his vest, swinging it around his head and taking the last hurdle was just out of order." |
The Spanish team protested after the race, which saw Mullera cross the line fourth.
Mekhissi-Benabbad, 29, who has won two Olympic silver medals, has previously caused controversy by fighting with France team-mate Mehdi Baala on the track in 2011.
He also pushed a mascot, external after winning European Championships gold in Helsinki in 2012.
Mekhissi-Benabbad waves after removing his shirt approaching the final hurdle
The Frenchman then poses with his national flag - only to be stripped of the gold medal later
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