Ethiopian track athlete Lamecha Girma is recovering after a distressing incident in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase final, where the reigning world record holder was carried off the track on a stretcher following a fall in the final lap of Wednesday’s race.
The 23-year-old Olympian was vying for a podium finish when he attempted to clear a hurdle in the final moments, only to have his back leg snag it, resulting in a hard fall as the other competitors sped past him.
Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia is taken off the track on a stretcher after falling in the Men’s 3000m steeplechase final. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Girma lay still on the track at Stade de France after appearing to hit the back of his head when he clipped the hurdle.
Medical personnel attended to him, placing a neck brace before transporting him off the track on a stretcher.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) provided encouraging news on Girma on Thursday.
Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma lies on the track during the men’s 3000m steeplechase final at the 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France on August 7, 2024. (BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
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“We have been informed that he is doing well and is recovering,” the IOC stated, via Reuters.
Girma, the silver medalist in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, currently holds the world record with a time of 7:52.11, a feat achieved in Paris in 2023.
Lamecha Girma competes in the men’s 3000m steeplechase heat at the 2024 Olympic Games on August 5, 2024. (Lui Siu Wai/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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Soufiane El Bakkali from Morocco secured the gold medal, while American Kenneth Rooks claimed silver, and Abraham Kibiwot from Kenya took home the bronze.
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