The Ethiopian athlete Lamecha Girma regained consciousness and was able to speak after a sickening fall in the Olympic 3,000m steeplechase final in Paris on Wednesday night.
The world record-holder hit his head on the track after clipping his knee on a barrier on the final lap of the race. He then lay motionless before being put in a neck brace and taken off on a stretcher by medics.
The 23-year-old, who was a silver medallist at the Tokyo Games and the last two world championships, was then taken to hospital for an assessment. His team later confirmed to L’Equipe that he was conscious and able to talk.
Speaking on Thursday, the International Olympic Committee said Girma’s condition was improving after the incident. “We understand he is in good shape and he is OK, he is recovering,” read an IOC statement.
Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali became the first man to successfully defend an Olympic steeplechase title since Volmari Iso-Hollo of Finland did so at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
America’s Kenneth Rooks took silver, while Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot won bronze.
Elsewhere, in the medals decided on Wednesday evening, Jamaica’s Roje Stona took a surprise men’s discus gold with an Olympic record throw of 70m, pushing Lithuania’s world record-holder Mykolas Alekna into silver by only three centimetres.
Australia’s Nina Kennedy won the women’s pole vault ahead of the United States’ Katie Moon after clearing 4.90m.
Noah Lyles, meanwhile, took one step closer to his dream of achieving an individual Olympic sprint double in Paris after securing his spot in the 200m final. The American claimed 100m gold by five-thousandths of a second on Sunday night, and needed to finish in the top two from semi-final heat two to automatically book his place in Thursday night’s showdown.
Lyles crossed his fingers with a tongue-out grin as the camera cut towards him on the big screen.
Like that 100m final, Lyles got out to the slowest start of the eight-man field, but made up for it when he crossed the line in 20.08secs for second spot behind Botswanan Letsile Tebogo in 19.96.
Lyles’ time was still good enough for third-fastest of the semi-finalists behind Tebogo, the only man to clock a sub-20 time in the semis.
Amber Anning booked her place in Friday’s women’s 400m final after posting a personal best 49.47 in the last of three semi-finals.
The 23-year-old, who has already anchored Great Britain to a mixed 4x400m relay bronze, battled Natalia Kaczmarek all the way to the finish and crossed two-hundredths of a second behind her Polish challenger.
Anning said: “I’m ecstatic. First Olympics and first Olympic final, I’m over the moon and to run a PB as well, this means so much to me. Like anyone, my goal was to make the final and whatever happens, happens. I’m excited for Friday.
“I feel I’ve got so much left in the tank, it’s about going back and getting a good recovery, speaking to my coach and seeing what we can tweak in the final.”
There was also good news for Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke, who made it through from the first semi in second, but Team GB’s Victoria Ohuruogu and Laviai Nielsen failed to progress.
Great Britain’s Tade Ojora lined up in heat two of the men’s 110m semi-finals but did not advance after finishing seventh.
