On Friday at the Paris Olympics, Lucia Moris from South Sudan fell to the ground in excruciating pain while competing in the preliminary heat of the women’s 100-meter race.
Upon the arrival of the medics, Silina Pha Aphay, a fellow competitor from Laos, had already rushed to the side of the person in need.
As Moris dashed out of the starting blocks, she was keeping pace in Lane 1. However, as the race crossed the halfway mark, she appeared to be losing her footing and slowing down. Eventually, she fell to the ground in front of Pha Aphay, who was in Lane 2.
After the race ended, Moris, a 23-year-old athlete from South Sudan, was unable to stand up and lay on the purple track. She remained alone on the ground, clutching her right thigh and shrieking in pain.
During the preliminary heat for the women’s 100-meter run at the Paris Olympics on Friday, Lucia Moris from South Sudan stumbled and fell halfway through the race. The image captured by Petr David Josek/AP shows the unfortunate moment.
Pha Aphay, aged 28, headed back towards Moris as she had finished sixth, which unfortunately was not good enough for her to progress to the next stage. This marks the end of her Olympic journey.
When the distress signal was received, Pha Aphay’s immediate response was to approach Moris who was in need of help.
As Moris lay injured on the track, Pha Aphay wasted no time in calling for help. Within moments, medics rushed to the scene and began attending to Moris’ injuries. Despite the chaos, Pha Aphay remained by Moris’ side, holding onto his sneakers as the medics prepared to move him onto a stretcher. In a heartwarming display of sportsmanship, another competitor, Salam Bouha Ahamdy of Mauritania, also came forward to offer his support to Moris.
Pha Aphay, speaking to the Washington Post, emphasized the physical toll of competing in the 100 meters. “All 100 meters athletes have to know how being hurt feels. And this is a big competition. It’s a big dream to come here. But you get hurt here. So everybody knows the feeling,” he stated.
According to Pha Aphay, she gave Moris permission to express her emotions through crying.
In the 100-meter event, sprinters who did not qualify for the first round were given a second chance to advance through the preliminary heat. The top three finishers were Natacha Ngoye Akamabi from Congo in first place, followed by Alessandra Gasparelli from San Marino and Xenia Hiebert from Paraguay in second and third place, respectively.
