Olympics: French Runner Alessia Zarbo ‘Feeling Better’ After Collapsing During 10,000-Meter Race
French runner Alessia Zarbo is reportedly recovering after collapsing during the Olympics’ 10,000-meter race on Friday night.
According to the French outlet RMC Sport, Zarbo “is feeling better and recovering. But her state of health prevents her from appearing in the mixed zone [interview area] in front of journalists.”
Zarbo’s collapse came just before the 26-minute mark of the long-distance race, which consists of 25 laps around the track.
“We have a runner a down,” a Peacock commentator announced as the camera panned to a limp Zarbo receiving medical attention. “I think that’s the Frenchwoman. It is quite humid and quite sticky and maybe the whole emotion of the occasion has got to her as well.”
The exact cause of Zarbo’s collapse thus far is unknown.
Earlier in the race, another runner, Eritrea’s Rahel Daniel, dropped out of the event, jogging off the track just six minutes in. Commentators said, “Well, that’s surprising. She didn’t look like she was limping or in any pain, so she just decided that her Olympic run was over.”
Zarbo’s medical event comes just days after Team USA’s Noah Lyles collapsed after his 200-meter final. (Following the race, for which he won a bronze medal, Lyles revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19 prior to competing.) Elsewhere during the Paris Olympics, Slovakian swimmer Tamara Potocká collapsed due to an asthma attack after swimming the 200-meter individual medley, and German long-jumper Malaika Mihambo also received medical care following her event final, exiting the stadium in a wheelchair.