• The IAAF awards the bronze to Orlando Ortega for a desperate resource in Spain

" Omar McLeod says he apologized, but he didn't. I think if you want to apologize to someone, you should do it to your face, don't tell a journalist and take it for granted. After the race he passed by me three times and didn't say nothing, not a 'Sorry.' I was pissed off, but I'm not aggressive, I'm very calm, if he comes to apologize I would have shaken his hand. This can't happen again. Despite the medal, I still think the International Federation something has to be done. It can't be that someone puts you in front and stops you with your arm. When I saw the street order, I looked at my coach [ Antonis Giannoulakis ] and we both already knew what was going to happen. We knew perfectly well that I would stop, although I could not imagine that everything would end up like this, "said Orlando Ortega , a man normally stingy in words, in a speech that lasted almost four minutes.

After all that has been experienced in the last 24 hours, the incident with the Jamaican McLeod at the end of the 110 meter hurdles, the lost appeal, the many hours locked in his room at the Ezdan hotel and the won appeal granted by the bronze in the World Cup, Ortega maintained two ideas: one, his anger with McLeod for his unsportsmanlike conduct and two, his thanks to the Spanish Federation and the "people of Spain".

"I have not been able to sleep, I have lived the longest hours of my life. Throughout the day I have been isolated from everything, I did not want to talk to anyone, but I went to social networks and encouraged me. Never in my life had I felt so much love , I had never been encouraged by so many people, I had never seen so many protests to the International Federation. In the worst moments I was telling myself that I have to give gold to the people of Spain. I have already obtained a silver in the Rio Games and two bronzes [in the European Championship in Berlin 2018 and this World Cup] and I owe a gold to Spain. I promise that in the Tokyo 2020 Games that gold will come. At all times I have trusted the Spanish Federation, in the work of the leaders, of the judges, and they have shown me that they are with me, that they support me ", continued Ortega who pointed out that his best support during the day had been his partner, the Colombian tripler Caterine Ibargüen , who on Thursday qualified for his final.

"My girl has helped me a lot, it has been my great support here and from here I want to send her a big kiss. I have kept my spirits thanks to her, thanks to my mother, my father, my whole family. I have cried a lot, It has been a very sad day, but up there there is a God who has helped me, "the hurdler finished after giving Spain his first medal in the current championship.

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