A heartbreaking moment during the Paris Olympics women’s 10,000m final occurred when French runner Alessia Zarbo collapsed on the track in front of her home crowd.
As her competitors rounded the bend to complete lap 21 of 25 around the 26-minute mark of the race on Friday, August 9, medical staff could be seen assisting the 22-year-old athlete in lanes three and four.
“Oh, my God,” the NBC announcer said after spotting the fallen Olympian as the lead pack passed her and the medics from the indoor tracks.
Video released by NBC Sports does not show Zarbo collapsing, but it does show the moment her competitors raced alongside her before a medical team lifted her off the track and carried her away on an orange stretcher.
France’s RMC Sport reported that Zarbo was “feeling better and recovering”.
Doctors help Alessia Zarbo, who has collapsed, on August 9, 2024.
Richard Heathcote/Getty
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Although Zarbo — a former French national champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters — did not finish this Olympic race, she has a previous personal best of 32:28.57, which she set in 2022.
On Friday, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won the Olympic 10,000m final in a blazing time of 30:43.25, claiming her second gold in Paris after winning the 5,000m a few days earlier on 5 August.
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Alessia Zarbo lies on the track after collapsing on August 9, 2024.
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty
Italian Nadia Battocletti and Dutch star Sifan Hassan, the defending champion in this race, finished with silver and bronze.
Zarbo was the second athlete pulled from the track in as many days. On Wednesday, August 7, Ethiopian runner Lamecha Girma was medically removed from the race after tripping at the penultimate barrier.
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education