Ethiopian athlete Lamecha Girma was stretchered off the Stade de France track in Paris after a horrifying fall at the end of the men’s Olympic 3,000m steeplechase final.
Girma, the current world record holder and silver medalist from the Tokyo Games, was making a charge towards the front of the pack during the closing stages of Wednesday’s final.
However, his race came grinding to a dramatic halt after he tried to clear the penultimate barrier in the last lap.
Having clipped the hurdle with his trailing leg, Girma fell head-first onto the track and remained motionless as other athletes ran past and over him.
After the race, medics ran onto the track to attend to the 23-year-old before stretching him off in a neck brace.
According to reports from French outlet L’Equipe, Girma lost consciousness after the fall but was conscious and speaking shortly after being stretchered off the track.
He will now head to the hospital for further medical examinations.
As the race continued ahead of him, it was Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali who successfully defended his Olympic title to claim gold.
America’s Kenneth Rooks surged through the field and took silver, while Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot earned bronze.
As well as his Olympic silver medal from 2021, Girma has won three World Championship silvers in the last three editions.
He set the world record in Paris last year at a Diamond League meeting after a blistering time of 7:52.11.
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