Horrifying scenes unfolded during the men’s 3,000m steeplechase when Ethiopian runner Lamecha Girma fell whilst attempting to clear a hurdle on the final lap and was carried off the track on a stretcher.
As he was running down the back straight with runners on either side of him, he struck a hurdle with his knee and fell hard to the ground, appearing to hit his head and lying motionless as the broadcast camera panned out to show other runners clearing the hurdles around him.
The other players managed to avoid contact with the injured Girma and medical staff rushed to his aid and provided treatment.
The Ethiopian runner was placed in a neck corset and carried off on a stretcher by medical staff who treated him.
There did not appear to be an update on Girma’s condition after the race.
“In my 40 years of commentating on running and steeplechase racing, I’ve never seen a fall this severe,” Peacock announcer Lee Diffie told The Athletic during the broadcast.
Girma won a silver medal in the same event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and holds the world record for the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, set in 2023 with a time of seven hours, 52 minutes and 11 seconds.
The 23-year-old has won three silver medals at the World Championships in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
2024 Paris Olympics
Morocco’s Sofiane El Bakari won the gold medal in a time of 8 hours, 6 minutes and 5 seconds, defending his title after winning at the 2020 Olympics.
American Kenneth Lukes beat Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwott by 0.06 seconds to win the silver medal.
Many people, including former NBA star Pau Gasol, sent messages of congratulations to Girma on social media.
“Praying for a speedy recovery and recovery for Lamecha Girma who fell during the Olympic 3000m steeplechase final. Wishing him the best,” Gasol wrote in a post on X.
