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Runner Lamecha Girma recovers from the Olympic Steeplechase fall
Lamecha Girma from Team Ethiopia.
Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesEthiopian runner Lamecha Girma was hospitalized after his brutal fall during the men’s 3000m steeplechase final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“We understand that he is in good shape and is doing well and is recovering,” the International Olympic Committee shared in a statement. The guard on Thursday, August 8.
During the final lap of the race, which took place on Wednesday, August 7, 23-year-old Girma stumbled over the final hurdle and briefly rolled across the track as the other runners finished the race. (from Morocco Soufiane El Bakkal took the gold medal while Team USA’s Kenneth Rooks received silver. Kenyan runner Abraham Kibivot won the bronze medal.)
As the race ended, paramedics rushed to the track for Girma, who appeared to have been knocked unconscious by the fall. He was carried away on a stretcher and given a neck brace. Girma reportedly regained consciousness while being taken to hospital.
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“After his fall on the 3,000-meter spire, Lamecha Girma received immediate care from the medical teams on site,” said a statement from an Olympic Games spokesperson, according to multiple media outlets. “Our thoughts are with him and we send our very best wishes for a speedy recovery. Paris 2024 is in close contact with the Ethiopian NOC to stay informed of his condition.”
WOW!
Kenneth Rooks has just won SILVER in the men’s 3000m Steeplechase in a STUNNER. 🤯 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/PIM2gcvY47
— NBC Olympic and Paralympic Games (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024
During Peacock’s live broadcast of the event, commentator Leigh Diffey weighed on the fall.
“In the 40 years I have been commentating on running and tower hunting, I have never seen such a bad fall,” he told viewers on Wednesday.
Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia is stretchered off the track after falling in the final of the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase.
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty ImagesLater that day, Girma’s team released a statement informing fans of the athlete’s health. (Chris Chavez, Citrus Magazine founder and athletics reporter, shared messages about Girma’s medical status via X.)
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“After a full examination overnight, it has been confirmed that Lamecha Girma does not have any serious head injuries,” they said. “He will undergo further scans to check his leg before he can leave hospital. Thank you to the French medical team and to all of you for your support.”
Before returning to the Paris Games, Girma made his Olympic Steeplechase debut in Tokyo, where he took home a silver medal. (El Bakkal, now 28, won gold.)
