Spanish marathon runner Elena Congost was cruelly denied a Paralympics bronze medal after letting go of her tether to help out her ailing guide across the finish line.

Congost, who is partially sighted and runs in the T12 category, crossed the line in 3hrs 0.48secs to seemingly secure a podium finish behind Moroccan pair Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi and Meryem En-Nourhi.

But with guide Mia Carol Bruguera suffering from cramp, the 36-year-old briefly released the rope connecting the pair.

Rules state that all runners in the T12 marathon must be connected to their guide via a tether at all times, leading to a disqualification for the Spaniard.

Japan’s Misato Michishita, whose world record was broken by El Idrissi in the race, was upgraded to third place.

“I would like everyone to know that I have not been disqualified for cheating, but rather I have been disqualified for being a person and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and is to help or support them,” Congost, who claimed gold in Rio in 2016, told Marca.

“I’m devastated, to be honest, because I had the medal. I’m super proud of everything I’ve done and in the end they disqualify me because 10 metres from the finish line I let go of the rope for a second because a person next to me fell face first to the ground and I grabbed the rope again and we crossed the finish line.

“The next athlete is three minutes away from me, so it was a reflex action of any human being to hold on to a person who is falling next to you.”