London Marathon impostor says he ‘deserved’ his medal

A homeless man who picked up a London Marathon runner’s race number and crossed the line in his place says he “deserved” his medal.

Polish-born Stanley Skupien, 38, “dumped a suitcase full of his possessions and jumped the barrier near Tower Bridge” to join in the 26.6-mile race at around the 12-mile mark, The Daily Telegraph reports. He then spotted another competitor’s accidentally dropped number about two miles from the finish and picked it up, so that he could claim a medal.

According to The Sun, Skupien, a builder, has been sleeping rough at Heathrow Airport following the collapse of his marriage, and is known by staff there as the “Jogging Tramp”.

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The avid runner told the newspaper that crossing the finish line was a “dream come true”, adding: “I deserved my medal.”

“I saw the number face-up in the middle of the road,” he said. “I knew if I had one I would get a medal - my heart leaped, it was a dream come true. I had no thoughts of the person whose number it was.

“I picked it up and held it to my chest as I crossed the line, I was in tears. A woman put the medal around my neck and told me, ‘Well done’. I kept kissing it - it was my biggest moment ever.”

The lost number belonged to 28-year-old runner Jake Halliday, who was subsequently disqualified despite raising £48,000 for blood cancer charity Bloodwise, Metro reports.

Skupien added: “I feel bad for Jake. But he crossed the line without his number so he’d have been disqualified anyway. I thought I’d present the medal to my seven-year-old son, Viktos, as it would make him so proud of me.”

Skupien was arrested at Heathrow on Tuesday on an unrelated theft charge. A London Marathon spokesperson said: “We are aware a man was arrested at Heathrow. We are now awaiting further information.”