Olympian Lamecha Girma Removed from Track on Stretcher Following Frightening Fall
Lamecha Girma‘s experience at the 2024 Olympics took a terrifying turn.
During the 3000-meter men’s steeplechase final on August 7, the Ethiopian athlete’s final lap was cut short after a hard fall while attempting to clear one of the barriers on the course.
Lamecha, positioned at the front of the pack during the last lap, was trying to move into second place when his trailing right leg hit the barrier, causing him to fall backwards.
The 23-year-old, who holds the world record in the event and was the silver medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Games, remained motionless for most of the race as other runners avoided him while clearing the barrier.
By the end of the race, as reported by The Athletic, Lamecha had managed to roll onto his stomach. Meanwhile, Team USA’s Kenneth Rooks secured the silver medal, and Lamecha was attended to by medical staff who carried him off the track in a neck brace and backboard. (Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot won gold and bronze, respectively.)