Shock moment in the final

World record holder falls and remains unconscious

Lamecha Girma had to be carried off on a stretcher by the emergency services.(Bild: APA/AFP/Ben STANSALL)

A horror fall overshadowed the Olympic final of the 3,000 meter steeplechase: World record holder Lamecha Girma fell heavily, apparently remained unconscious and had to be carried off on a stretcher.

The Ethiopian had set his sights high in the run-up to the race. Namely to win his first major title. He has finished second at the World Championships three times and also won the silver medal at the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo. In 2019, he missed out on World Championship gold in a photo finish by a hundredth of a second.

In the 3,000-metre steeplechase final, however, he got stuck on the third-to-last obstacle around 200 meters before the finish line and hit the back of his head on the track. As a result, he apparently remained unconscious on the ground. The following runners had to jump over him and get out of the way.

Girma conscious and responsive
Helpers and emergency services immediately rushed to the 23-year-old. After a few minutes of treatment, he was taken out of the Stade de France to the cheers of the spectators. The doctors put a neck brace on Girma. As the French sports newspaper "L'Equipe" reported, citing the Ethiopian team, Girma is conscious and responsive.

Lamecha Girma had to be taken away by the rescue team on a stretcher.(Bild: APA/AFP/Andrej ISAKOVIC)

(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

In view of this incident, the sporting aspects took a back seat. Gold went to Soufiane El Bakkali. The Moroccan won in 8:06.05 minutes ahead of the American Kenneth Rooks, who was 36 hundredths of a second slower. Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot came third.