Lamecha Girma’s 2024 Olympics experience took a terrifying turn.
During his 3000-meter men’s steeplechase final August 7, the Ethiopian athlete’s final lap was cut short after he took a hard fall while trying to clear one of the course’s barriers.
Lamecha, who was stationed within the front of the pack during the bell lap, had been making a move to bring himself into the second position when his trailing right leg looked to clip the barrier, causing him to fall directly onto his back.
The 23-year-old—who currently holds the world record in the event and is the defending silver medalist from the 2020 Tokyo Games—remained motionless for much of the duration of the event as his fellow runners avoided him as they cleared the barrier.
Lamecha had managed to roll over and onto his stomach, per The Athletic, by the end of the race—which saw a silver medal victory for Team USA’s Kenneth Rooks—and was soon attended to by medical personnel who carried him off the track in a neck brace and backboard. (Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali and Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya won gold and bronze, respectively.)
