Team France runner Alessia Zarbo is currently recovering following a terrifying situation during the 10,000-meter women’s race at the 2024 Olympics on Friday, Aug. 9.
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While rounding the corn of lap 21 or 25, the 22-year-old athlete was seen being assisted by Olympic medical personnel in the three and four lanes. an NBC commentator declared in shock “Oh my God” after noticing the runner.
“We have a runner down,” another commentator announced. “I think that’s the Frenchwoman. It is quite humid and quite sticky and maybe the whole emotion of the occasion has got to her as well.”
Although the video doesn’t show Alessia Zarbo collapsing on the track, it does show the moment her competitors ran past her before the Olympics’ medical team lifted her off the track and carried her away on an orange stretcher.
L’athlète française Alessia Zarbo s’est écroulée durant l’épreuve du 10.000 m au Stade de France, ce vendredi, avant d’être évacuée sur civière. Elle a été immédiatement prise en charge pic.twitter.com/xqneYTKcZR
— Dadjo (@Dadjo1984576978) August 11, 2024
France’s RMC Sports confirmed in a statement that Zarbo is feeling better and recovering. Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won the race with a time of 30:43.25. This was her second gold at the 2024 Olympic Games. Her first gold medal was at the 5,000-meter run on Monday, Aug. 5.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti took home the silver while Dutch runner Sifan Hassan walked away with the bronze.
Alessia Zarbo’s incident follows Ethiopian runner Lamecha Girma being removed from the steeplechase race after he tripped on a barrier. Team USA’s Noah Lyles was also taken off the track by medical personnel after running in the 200-meter race while battling COVID.
Alessia Zarbo Previously Revealed What She Hopes to Achieve During Her First Olympics
Prior to the start of the 2024 Olympics, Alessia Zarbo opened up about what she hoped to achieve during her first games.
“I don’t have a specific goal because these are my first Games,” she shared. “And I’m new to the discipline. In terms of timing and with the Olympic effect, why not aim to approach the French record and finish among the top Europeans?”
Also sharing who is her all-time hero, Alessia Zarbo pointed out Olympic legend, Michael Phelps. “I take inspiration from people around me. But when I think about the Olympics, I think of Michael Phelps. He said something memorable in an interview. ‘To do something exceptional, you have to do things differently.’”
According to her Olympic bio, Zarbo finished 12th place in the 10,000-meter at the 2022 European Championships. She also was a 2021 European U23 Championship 5,000-meter finalist, finishing in seventh place.
She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2023.