Ethiopian star runner Lamecha Girma exited the track on a stretcher after taking a hard fall while attempting to clear a barrier on the backside of the final lap in Wednesday’s 3000m men’s steeplechase. The 23-year-old was accelerating down the back straightaway as he leaped to clear the hurdle while competitors were on his right and left. Girma appeared to clip the barrier with his trailing right knee and fell directly onto his upper body. From there, he was seen rolling onto his stomach as the race finished.
On the broadcast, Peacock play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey noted minutes later that Girma remained motionless. Girma, who holds the world record in the event and won silver in Tokyo, was later seen with a neck brace on as he was carried off the track on a backboard by four medical personnel. “In 40 years of commentating running and the steeplechase, I have never seen a fall that heavy,” Diffey said solemnly as he signed off.
Per multiple reports, Girma was transported to a hospital for further assessment.
The Ethiopian athlete Lamecha Girma regained consciousness and was able to speak after a sickening fall in the Olympic 3,000m steeplechase final in Paris on Wednesday night. The world record-holder hit his head on the track after clipping his knee on a barrier on the final lap of the race. He then lay motionless before being put in a neck brace and taken off on a stretcher by medics.
The 23-year-old, who was a silver medallist at the Tokyo Games and the last two world championships, was then taken to hospital for an assessment. His team later confirmed to L’Equipe that he was conscious and able to talk. A statement from Paris 2024 organisers said: “Following his fall in the 3,000m steeplechase, Lamecha Girma received immediate care from the on-site medical teams. Our thoughts are with him and we are sending him our very best wishes for a swift recovery. Paris 2024 is in close contact with the Ethiopian NOC to stay updated on his condition.”
Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali became the first man to successfully defend an Olympic steeplechase title since Volmari Iso-Hollo of Finland did so at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. America’s Kenneth Rooks took silver, while Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot won bronze.
Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma left Wednesday's men's 3,000-meter Olympic steeplechase final on a stretcher after falling and hitting the back of his head on the final lap. The nature of Girma's injury wasn't immediately clear in the aftermath of the event, which closed Wednesday's competition at Stade de France on the outskirts of Paris.
A world record holder in the event and a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Girma was in the middle of a crowded pack as runners started the last of 7.5 laps. Girma started to pull away from the pack in pursuit of then-leader Kenneth Rooks of the USA.
Girma passed five runners into second position, then tripped over one of the event's final hurdles. He hit the back of his head on the track, and his body went immediately limp face down. Trailing runners leaped over him as the race continued.
The race finished seconds later, with Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali taking gold, Rooks winning silver and Kenya's Abraham Kibiwot securing bronze. Girma remained down on the track as runners crossed the finish line.
NBC's live broadcast declined to cover Girma's injury beyond the initial fall for several minutes before announcer Leigh Diffey acknowledged his status while signing off. “Let's spare a thought for Lamecha Girma,” Diffey said. “He went down hard. And the medical team is tending to him.”
Images from the stadium show medical officials placing Girma's head and neck in a brace and carrying him off on a stretcher.
Romain Donneux of French sports publication L'Équipe reported after the event that Girma was conscious. He was able to talk while receiving treatment in the stadium's medical room, per the report. The CBC's Devin Heroux shared a statement from a Paris Olympics spokesperson that Girma was receiving treatment and being assessed in a hospital. “Following his fall in the 3000m steeplechase, Lamecha Girma received immediate care from the on-site medical teams,” the statement reads. “Our thoughts are with him, and we are sending our very best wishes for a swift recovery.
“Paris 2024 is in close contact with the Ethiopian NOC to stay updated on his condition.”
Further details of Girma's condition were not initially clear.
Ethiopian world record holder Lamecha Girma exited the track on a stretcher after a hard fall at the penultimate barrier, just over 200m from the finish, in Wednesday’s 3000m men’s steeplechase. Girma, who was looking for Ethiopia’s first Olympic gold in the discipline, was catching up with the leading group when his right leg hit the hurdle, causing him to fall heavily.
The 23-year-old Ethiopian was near the front of the pack on the last lap when he clipped the third-to-last barrier and hit the track hard. He was no longer moving and was evacuated a few minutes later on a stretcher, to the applause of the public. Girma has reportedly been taken to hospital and is currently undergoing assessment. While Peacock commentator Leigh Diffey said: “In 40 years of commentating running and the steeplechase, I have never seen a fall that heavy.”
Moments after Girma’s fall, Morocco’s Tokyo Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali claimed victory in the race, retaining his title with a time of 8:06.05. American Kenneth Rooks took silver, and Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot finished in third place. The three Ethiopians in the final pushed a frantic pace in the first kilometre in an attempt to catch El Bakkali, but their efforts were in vain.
According to L’Equipe he “lost consciousness on the track” but then regained his senses and was “able to speak a few minutes later”. Girma, who is from Asela, won a silver medal in the event during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He also won silver in the event at the 2019, 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma has reportedly regained consciousness after his heavy fall at the start of the last 200 meters of the men's steeplechase at the Paris Olympics earlier on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old, who is the 3,000m steeplechase world record holder, was stretched off of the track after passing out right in the thick of the event, worrying fans in the process.
It is believed that Girma has now regained consciousness as he was able to utter a few words before being transferred to hospital for examinations, according to French outlet L'Equipe.
Girma appeared to have lost his senses after tripping over a hurdle and hitting the ground hard with his back, then his head.
Lying on his stomach, he did not move while the entire field avoided him.
Lamecha Girma lost consciousness after tripping over a hurdle during the Steeplechase final
Girma lied motionless with his eyes open and his left leg convulsing as medics rushed to him
WOW!Kenneth Rooks just won SILVER in the men’s 3000m steeplechase in a STUNNER. 🤯 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/PIM2gcvY47
From a distance, images of Girma's trip were frightening since his convulsing left leg could be seen. His eyes were also open while he wore a neck brace on the stretcher.
'Following his fall in the 3,000m steeplechase, Lamecha Girma received immediate care from the on-site medical teams. Our thoughts are with him and we are sending him our very best wishes for a swift recovery,' Paris 2024 said in a statement.
The race had all the makings of an epic duel as Soufiane El Bakkali waited in the middle of the pack before making his move with about 300m to go, chasing down Girma who was flying through the field.
Events took a jarring turn, however, when Girma fell, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Girma's fall came in the last 200 meters of the 3000m event at the Stade De France in Paris
Girma (second to far left) before his worrying fall in the field of the 3000m steeplechase
Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali eventually won the event in front of America's Kenneth Rooks
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El Bakkali chased down Kenneth Rooks over the final bend but the American dug deep to produce a personal best time and claim a surprise silver.
The Moroccan held his arms out wide as he crossed the finish to become the first back-to-back winner of the event since Finland's Volmari Iso-Hollo in 1932 and 1936, while medical staff were still tending to Girma.
The fans at the Stade de France offered a smattering of applause as he was strapped to a stretcher and carried out through a tunnel.
'I actually didn't know how bad the fall was - I didn't know who fell until after the race - so I'll just keep him in my prayers,' said Rooks.
