- Lamecha has left the hospital, where he was treated overnight.
Ethiopian steeplechase world record holder Lamecha Girma is recovering from a heavy fall at the Paris Olympics and is “in good shape”, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday.
Girma was left prone on the track after falling at a hurdle during Wednesday night’s 3000m race before being eventually stretchered off. He was taken to Pitié Salpêtrière hospital in Paris, according to a source at the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, but was not undergoing surgery.
“We understand that he’s in good shape and our sympathies go to him,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters. “We hope he’s ok and makes a swift recovery. No one likes to see an accident like that,” he added. Girma clipped the third-last hurdle with his knee and plunged head first into the track. After receiving medical treatment, he left the arena on a stretcher with his neck secured by a brace.
The Ethiopian Athletics Federation announced that Lamecha had left the hospital, where he was treated overnight. He is now back at the Olympic Village.
The race was won by Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, three years after securing his first Olympic title in Tokyo.
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