A Bhutanese runner melted the hearts of the crowd – he fought to the finish line of the marathon more than an hour and a half behind the winner | Olympics

A Bhutanese runner melted the hearts of the crowd

Kinzang Lhamo got to enjoy the exclusive cheers of the crowd in the women’s marathon.

The final day of competition at the Paris Olympics saw a great women’s marathon race, culminating in Holland of Sifan Hassan to victory in a new Olympic record time.

However, the exciting marathon moments did not stop there. There is always a winner in the competition, but someone also has to finish last. The last finisher in the marathon was from Bhutan Kinzang Lhamo. He was 80th and was more than an hour and a half behind the winner.

In fact, he finished 79th by nearly an hour. So the TV cameras only followed Lhamo’s marathon for an hour. His final time was 3:52.59.

Lhamo, who walked part of the way, received huge applause from the large and persistent audience at the finish and also along the way. Some spectators had even bought Bhutanese flags to cheer for Lhamo.

– An incredible example of human perseverance and the Olympic spirit, the official race pages live streamed.

Lhamo, 26, says on the official website of the Games that his primary goal is to finish the marathon and improve his record. The latter remained a dream, because according to Deutsche Welle, Lhamo has run a marathon in his home country in 3 hours and 26 minutes.

The Olympic marathon was his first competition abroad. He has won the Bhutan Marathon in 2023 and 2024 and also participated in ultra running competitions.

Lhamo works as a soldier in his home country and says that he only started running after enlisting in the army in 2020.

– I could never have imagined that I would get such an opportunity, but I am really grateful to represent Bhutan, Lhamo said For Deutsche Welle.

A total of three Bhutanese athletes participated in Paris. Archer Lam Dorji lost his opening round bout and the swimmer Sangay Tenzin missed the heats in the 100 meter freestyle.

In the country’s Olympic history, the majority of athletes have been specifically archers. For the first time, Bhutan had a representative in another sport in London 2012, then in rifle shooting.

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