Viral: An athlete from Bhutan came last in the Paris marathon and was applauded by the public

The Olympic Games in Paris They closed this Sunday in the women’s marathon and left behind an image that went viral because it reflects the true spirit of Olympism: the important thing is not to win, but to compete.

The athlete from Bhutan Kinzang Lhamo He was the last to finish the race, an hour and a half later than champion Sifan Hassan, and he did so in the midst of a crowd that cheered him on and accompanied him to the finish line.

Lhamo completed the difficult journey from Paris to Versailles in 3 hours, 52 minutes and 59 secondsamid hot weather that forced him to walk some sections, but was encouraged by spectators to run alongside him in the final kilometers of the test.

Some people following the event from the stands recorded the moment with their cameras and shared with the world the pictures of the Asian athlete, who crossed the finish line in the eightieth and last position.

Lhamo, 26 years old, came to the Paris Games as the the only woman in the Bhutanese delegationwhich consists of three athletes, and is in charge of carrying the flag of his country during the opening ceremony.

“It’s always been one of my dreams, to compete on a stage like this,” Lhamo said in an interview with German radio Deutsche Welle.

The Asian athlete started running after joining his country’s army, as revealed by the Reuters agency. In 2022 he was second in a 200-kilometer ultramarathon in the Himalayas and this year he won Bhutan Marathon with a mark of 3 hours and 26 minutes.

“My first goal is to complete the marathon and then break my personal record,” said the athlete before making his debut at the Olympic Games.

At the end of the race, they asked him why he continued running when he was so tired: “My country didn’t make me travel 8,000 kilometers to start the race,” he replied. “They sent me to finish my degree.”