‘Kick in the guts’: Jaryd Clifford left shattered after longtime rival receives three-year drug ban

Aussie Paralympian Jaryd Clifford has been left shattered and wondering what could have been after a longtime Spanish rival copped a massive ban for taking performance enhancing drugs.

“Shattered” Paralympian Jaryd Clifford says it’s a “kick in the guts” discovering his long-time competitor, Spain’s Yassine Ouhdadi, has copped a three-year suspension for taking performance enhancing drugs.

Ouhdadi out-kicked vision impaired runner Clifford on the final straight of the 5000m T13 at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 to snatch the gold medal.

Ouhdadi crosses the line first in the 5000m T13 final in Paris last year. Picture: Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages

Ouhdadi repeated the effort in Paris last year when his finishing burst put Clifford and his guide under pressure, forcing their disqualification.

He also beat Clifford into gold at the 2023 World Para-Athletics Championships.

Controversy has swirled around Ouhdadi since he was found to have returned a positive test for the anabolic steroid Clostebol in an out-of-competition test on July 28. 2024 – a month before the Paris Paralympics.

According to the International Paralympic Committee (ICP), “an administrative error by a third party” meant Ouhdadi wasn’t provisionally suspended until February 27 of this year.

Clifford and Ouhdadi competing against each other in Paris. Picture: Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages

On Tuesday, the IPC hit Ouhdadi with a three-year ban, backdated to one day after the closing ceremony of the Paris Paralympics.

He will be free to compete again on September 8, 2027, meaning he’ll be eligible for the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

The Spaniard has accepted the sanctions, and will be stripped of all the results he obtained after the positive test a month before Paris.

However, none of the results prior to the positive test are affected by the sanctions.

Clifford crossed the line in third place in the 5000m T13 final in Paris, but was sensationally disqualified when he dropped the tether connecting him to his guide, Matt Clarke, metres before the finish line.

Clifford (R) and Clarke (L) followed by Ouhdadi in the 5000m T13 final in Paris. Picture: Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages

Other athletes in the race have been moved up, with Aleksandr Kostin and Anton Kuliatin promoted to gold and silver, and Sixto Roman Moreta Criollo claiming bronze.

Clifford’s disqualification means he isn’t eligible for a medal.

“I’m pretty shattered,” the Victorian said in a statement on Tuesday morning. “My races against Yassine have changed my life.

“It’s taken a lot of strength to move forward from these moments in my career, particularly that race in Paris last year.

“Without Yassine in that 5000m, it’s hard not to think about how different that last lap of the race would have played out.

“Everything leading into that race was about beating him and only when he went past us on that last lap did everything begin to unravel.

“To think that holding on for a silver that day would be a gold today feels like another kick in the guts.”

Clifford’s mate, fellow Paralympic medallist Michael Roeger called for stronger punishment.

“Disgrace,” he wrote on Instagram. “Give him a life ban!

“Big things coming your way, Wizard!”

Clifford said he will immediately begin planning for the LA Paralympics in a little over three years’ time.

“I’m determined to keep my focus on the future. I had always reflected on those moments with sadness and frustration, but I learnt a lot from falling short too,” he wrote.

“No matter how much you revise the official results you can never change how a race made you feel.

“When I dream of winning a gold medal, I don’t dream about the dot-point on the resume. I dream about the moment I cross the finish line and all of the hard work finally paid off.

Clifford competing in the senior Men's 1500m Heat (T12) at the 2025 Australian Open and Under 20 Athletics Championships. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“I can’t control the past, but I can control the chance I give myself to fight for those moments in the future.

“I was able to pick myself up off the track in Paris last year because I knew I had an army there to dust me off and get me to the line.

“I feel so lucky to come from so many places, but particularly the communities that have been there every step of the way. It means the world to have you all in my corner.

“I love nothing more than pulling on that green and gold singlet and giving it everything I’ve got. That will never change. Bring on the next four years!”

Clifford shattered his own T12 1500m world record over the weekend, clocking 3:40.38 in Nice, France.

The remarkable run took nearly a second off his own four-year old world record of 3:41.34 set in Canberra ahead of the Tokyo Games.

Originally published as ‘Kick in the guts’: Jaryd Clifford left shattered after longtime rival receives three-year drug ban