Paris Olympics: Ethiopian world-record holder Lamecha Girma leaves steeplechase final on stretcher after falling, hitting head on final lap WSB-TV Channel 2 [Video]

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Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma left Wednesday’s men’s 3000-meter Olympic steeplechase final on a stretcher after falling and hitting the back of his head on the final lap.

The nature of Girma’s injury wasn’t immediately clear in the aftermath of the event, which closed Wednesday’s competition at Stade de France on the outskirts of Paris.

A world-record holder in the event and a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Girma was in the middle of a crowded pack as runners started the last of 7.5 laps. Girma started to pull away from the pack in pursuit of then-leader Kenneth Rooks (USA).

Girma passed five runners into second position, then tripped over one of the event’s final hurdles. He hit the back of his head on the track, and his body went immediately limp face down. Trailing runners leapt over him as the race continued.

The …