PARIS — Zimbabwean long-distance runner Rutendo Nyahora faced heartbreak at the Paris 2024 women’s marathon on Sunday, August 11, as she failed to complete the grueling 42.195km race.
Nyahora, one of six athletes who did not finish out of the 89 competitors, struggled through the course, stopping and starting multiple times before finally withdrawing.
“It was not my day today, I don’t want to lie,” the 35-year-old said. “I tried, but it was hard for me to accept it. I wanted to finish, no matter even if I was going to be last. I don’t know what happened—it was not my day.”
Overwhelmed by the experience, Nyahora expressed her desire to rest before breaking down in tears.
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Meanwhile, the marathon saw a historic performance by Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan, who set a new Olympic record by finishing in 2:22:55. Hassan, who also competed in the 5000m and 10,000m events, became the first woman in Olympic history to medal in all three distance events in a single edition of the Games, mirroring Emil Zatopek’s legendary feat in 1952.
“I feel like I am dreaming,” Hassan said after her victory. “The marathon is something else… every single step is so hard and so painful.”
Hassan’s triumph personified the challenges of the Paris 2024 marathon course, with its steep inclines and rapid descents.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa took silver in 2:22:58 and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri earned bronze in 2:23:10.
Nyahora, born on November 11, 1988, in Harare, Zimbabwe, is a seasoned athlete with a history of representing her country on the world stage.
She previously competed in the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she finished 92nd in the marathon. She also participated in two World Championships, ranking 21st in Doha in 2019 and 47th in London in 2017.
Her journey to the Paris 2024 Games marked her second Olympic appearance, where she had hoped to improve on her previous performance.
Residing in Pretoria, South Africa, Nyahora has juggled the challenges of motherhood and athletic training. She shares her life with her husband, Sibusiso Nzima, a South African Olympian, and their two children.
Mpofu finishes 19th in Olympic marathon as Ethiopia’s Tola takes gold
Zimbabwean long-distance runner Isaac Mpofu secured a respectable 19th place finish in the men’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Saturday, clocking in at 2:10:09. Competing against the world’s best, Mpofu put up a strong performance on the challenging Paris course.
Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola claimed the gold medal with an impressive time of 2:06:26, setting a new Olympic record. Belgium’s Bashir Abdi took the silver, finishing just 21 seconds behind Tola in 2:06:47, while Kenya’s Benson Kipruto earned the bronze with a time of 2:07:00.
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