It was a ten day full of athletics, wasn’t it? From Cole Hocker’s surprise win in the men’s 1500m final and Keely Hodgkinson’s gold in the 800m to The chaotic men’s 5000m semi-finals and silver and bronze medals for the British team relay – this year’s athletics has delivered in abundance. And in the women’s marathon on Sunday, Sifan Hassan took home gold alongside her bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m after an epic last-minute kick.
I was lucky enough to witness that moment in person, as the Parisian sun beat down on the stands that lined the 100-meter blue carpet outside the Hôtel des Invalides. And yet, Hassan’s outstanding triple victory aside, it is what happened on that carpet an hour and a half later that I think truly embodies the spirit of the Olympic Games: the moment when Bhutanese runner Kinzang Lhamo was greeted with a standing ovation as she crossed the finish line in a time of 3 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds.
Lhamo, the only woman on her country’s three-person Olympic team, had walked the last two kilometers of the race while dozens of spectators accompanied her on her way to the finish line. The 80th and when she came in last, she looked visibly exhausted as she sprinted down the home stretch – and yet we still stamped our feet and cheered as loudly as we could.
“It’s as if she’s about to be crowned the winner,” said a BBC commentator about Lhamo’s tumultuous reception.
Sifan Hassan from Team Netherlands is the first to cross the finish line in the women’s marathon
The moment is perhaps even more significant considering that this year’s races alternate between the men’s and women’s races. Traditionally, the men’s marathon is the last athletics event of the Olympics. This year, the order has been reversed, as a nod to the 40th anniversary of the first women’s Olympic marathon in Los Angeles. Previously, the distance was considered “too strenuous” for women.
Ironically, just a few hours earlier, I was in exactly the same position as Lhamo, running the Marathon Pour Tous: a once-in-a-lifetime event organized by Paris 2024, where 20,024 runners followed in the footsteps of their Olympic heroes, on the same course that the athletes competed on. As an eleven-time marathon runner, believe me – this course was hardwith a total elevation gain of 436 m and a challenging descent of 438 m. For comparison, the World Marathon Majors, which are considered the hilliest – Boston and New York City – each have an elevation gain of just over 244 m.
The difference between Lhamo and me, however, is that I had no one watching me – unless you count a handful of friends and family members who followed me from home. And even though I travelled to Paris alone, I had many fellow runners by my side throughout the race.
Lhamo ran almost alone. Most of her competitors, 91 women, had met the Olympic qualifying standard (2:26:50), and a handful of universal spots were reserved for athletes like Lhamo from underrepresented National Olympic Committees. With a personal best of 3:26, she stood at the start line knowing she would be miles behind everyone else. Can you imagine the courage that takes, especially on a world stage?
Not to mention, she could have dropped out at any time, especially in the heat, but she persevered. This sends a strong message to all women who feel like they don’t have what it takes to exercise.
As someone who only started running in my early twenties, the fear of not being good enough was certainly a barrier that stopped me from participating in sport from a young age. And while the Olympics are of course about shining a spotlight on the world’s most talented athletes, it’s also about athletes like Lhamo showing that you don’t necessarily have to be the best at something to be successful – or to inspire.
In fact, Lhamo was not the only athlete to show the true spirit of the Games in Paris.
Another memorable moment came last Friday when 22-year-old Megan Keith finished the women’s 10,000m final with a solo last lap after everyone else had already crossed the finish line. Keith, who was reportedly suffering from an ankle injury, received the biggest reception of the night when she crossed the finish line in 23 minutes with a time of 33:19.92.rd Place before hugging her teammate Eilish McColgan in an emotional exchange.
Eilish McColgan and Megan Keith hug after the women’s 10,000m final
After the final, Keith said it was the hardest race of her life: “Those were the hardest 25 laps ever. I was happy to start and even happier to finish. Even though I came last, I’m proud to be here as an Olympian.”
If you ask me, both Keith and Lhamo embody everything the Games should be about: unwavering determination, relentless grit and true sportsmanship. They may not have gone home with a medal, but I’m sure their achievements inspired people everywhere, just as they inspired me.
