Zimbabwean long-distance runner Rutendo Nyahora could not complete the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Sunday morning.
Nyahora, who was making her second Olympic appearance after receiving a universality slot from World Athletics, dropped out of the 42km race after completing 22 kilometres.
She was one of six runners who failed to finish the event, including American star Fiona O’Keefe, who withdrew before the 5km mark.
Commenting on her performance, the 35-year-old South African-based athlete said it simply was not her day, as she had stopped twice in the first 20km before deciding to withdraw from the race. She said (via The Herald):
Nothing happened. It was not my day today, I don’t want to lie, it was not my day today. I tried but it was not my day.
It was hard to accept because there was a time when I stopped, I ran again and I stopped and I ran again because I wanted to finish even though I was going to finish last, I wanted to finish. But I don’t know what happened.
She said she would take a break to rest before she decided on her next move.
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands won the women’s marathon in an Olympic record time of 2 hours 22 minutes and 55 seconds.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa finished second in 2:22:58, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri clocked 2:23:10 to claim the bronze medal.
This was Nyahora’s second Olympic appearance, having previously represented Zimbabwe at the Rio 2016 Games, where she finished 92nd out of 157 athletes.
The women’s marathon was the final event for Team Zimbabwe at the Paris 2024 Olympics, which concluded on Sunday.
In addition to Nyahora, Zimbabwe had six other athletes competing at the Games. Sprinters Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba both reached the final of the men’s 200m event.
The two marathon runners were Nyahora and Isaac Mpofu, who finished 19th in the men’s marathon on Saturday.
Paige van der Westhuizen and Denilson Cyprianos competed in swimming, while Stephen Cox represented Zimbabwe in rowing.
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