Olympics rocked by frightening scenes as runner collapses on track during 10,000m final

There were scary scenes on the athletics track at the Olympics on Friday night when French runner Alessia Zarbo collapsed towards the end of the women's 10,000m final. Beatrice Chebet of Kenya completed an incredible double, winning the 10,000m after also saluting in the 5000m earlier in the Paris Games.

But there were huge concerns for Zarbo, who collapsed to the track in frightening fashion and required medical assistance. The Frenchwoman lay prone on the track and appeared to lose consciousness, with medical staff rushing to her aid as the race continued around her.

“We have a runner down. I think that’s the Frenchwoman Alessia Zarbo,” one TV commentator said. “It is quite humid and quite sticky and maybe the whole emotion of the occasion has got her as well.”

Zarbo was taken from the track on a stretcher and received a rousing applause from her home crowd. A hush had fallen over the spectators inside State de France when Zarbo collapsed, and there were some agonising moments as she lay on the track and her competitors kept running. TV viewers were left rattled by the scary scenes and took to social media to send their well-wishes.

"Really hope Alessia Zarbo is alright!" one person wrote. "Her collapse in the women’s 10,000m looked really nasty."

Aussie Lauren Ryan in remarkable scenes during 10,000m final

Australia's Lauren Ryan was an unexpected leader just past the halfway point in the star-studded final. In the pack behind her was Chebet, Dutch superstar Sifan Hassan and the best Ethiopians and Kenyans.

Ryan's turn at the front only lasted little more than a lap and she eventually finished 13th - but it was still the second-best result by an Australian woman in an Olympic 10,000m race. "Everything was in place to have a great race and I feel like that's what we did," said the 26-year-old Ryan.

"We executed the race as well as we could have, except my coach (Lara Rogers) was probably like 'don't lead it'. But I felt comfortable enough to do it and I thought it paid off because we lost a bunch of girls and it made the pack a lot smaller when we got to the end. So I'm really happy."

American curse continues in men's 4x100m relay

It was a night packed with drama on the track in Paris, with the USA grabbing gold in the women's 4x100m relay - but their male counterparts flopping again. Andre de Grasse anchored Canada to victory in the men's race, but there were more tears for the US as they were disqualified for a botched handover.

The Canadian quartet - also comprising Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Brendon Rodney - clocked 37.50 seconds to win the gold. It marks a seventh Olympic medal for De Grasse, with the 29-year-old having already won one gold (200m Tokyo), two silvers (200m, Rio; 4x100m relay, Tokyo) and three bronzes (100m Rio and Tokyo; 4x100m relay Rio).

South Africa took silver in an African record of 37.57sec, while Great Britain got the bronze (37.61). "It feels pretty amazing," said De Grasse. "To be out with these guys, my brothers, I've been with them since the beginning of time, so it's amazing. We talked about this moment for years. It feels good to bring it to fruition. I'm super grateful."

The United States, missing 100m champion Noah Lyles due to illness, initially crossed the line in seventh in 37.89 - but were later disqualified. Christian Coleman botched the first baton handover with Kenny Bednarek, who almost came to a complete standstill as a result. From there Kyree King and Fred Kerley were powerless to drag them back into it.

"It just didn't happen," said Coleman. "Maybe we could have put in some more work, it just didn't happen. We practised a lot. Me and Kenny have been awesome teammates a few times over the years. We felt really confident. It just didn't happen. We're our own biggest critic. We're disappointed because we know we had the speed to do it. It's part of the sport that you come into it with the risk reward."

Carl Lewis calls for USA to 'blow up' men's relay program

It continues an extraordinary run of poor performances, with the last time the US men medalled in the 4x100m relay coming back in 2004 at the Athens Games. They had a botched handoff in the heats of the 2021 Games in Tokyo, and were disqualified at the 2016 Games in Rio. They failed to medal in London in 2012 and didn't go past the semis in Beijing in 2008.

US track and field legend Carl Lewis, who won two Olympic relay golds in 1984 and 1992, took to social media to voice his displeasure. "It is time to blow up the system," he said. "This continues to be completely unacceptable. It is clear that EVERYONE at @usatf (the US track and field federation) is more concerned with relationships than winning. No athlete should step on the track and run another relay until this program is changed from top to bottom."

with agencies