Megan Keith praised for ‘Olympic grit’ after she was lapped by leaders
Olympics fans – at home and in Paris – have praised a Team GB rising star who was lapped in the Women’s 10,000m final for persevering to the end of the race, saying she embodies everything that the Games are about.
Scot Megan Keith, 22, was visibly emotional when she eventually crossed the finish line to an almighty cheer from the crowd – and fell weeping into the arms of teammate Eilish McColgan.
Team GB fans were full of praise for the Stade de France moment that proved just making it to the Olympics is an almighty achievement in itself.
Inverness Harriers Keith finished in 23rd place, clocking up a time of 33 minutes and 19 seconds and broke down in tears when the ‘loudest support of the night’ greeted her at the finish line – after she said she endured the ‘hardest race of my life’.
The athlete was thought to have sustained an ankle injury ahead of the final, which was won by Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet in a time of 30 minutes and 43 seconds.
Grit: Team GB’s Megan Keith, 22, finished the Women’s 10,000metres in 23rd place and was lapped by the race’s top runners – however, fans say her determination to make the finish line saw her get one of the biggest cheers of the night in the Stade de France on Friday
When she crossed the finish line – notching up a PB – Keith dissolved into tears, with the crowd giving her a huge round of applause
After the race, Keith’s new fans praised her resilience.
On Instagram, one spectator said they’d judged Keith for being so far behind but said: ‘Then I realised, hang on a second, I wouldn’t be able to run a fraction of what she did without giving up.
‘This woman didn’t give up, no matter how far behind she was! She deserves a medal for that alone and as a stranger watching her, I am so proud of her.’
Another added: ‘I think this is probably my most favourite scene at the whole Olympics. Especially when she was being comforted by Eilish at the end!’
One fan watching at home praised the young runner for not giving up, while another said the cheer she received was ‘probably my most favourite scene at the whole Olympics’
One person wrote: ‘I was in the crowd tonight and everyone from every country was cheering her on. She got the loudest support of the night, I felt for her falling so far behind but she kept going. That’s tough resilience.’
Speaking to journalists after the final, Keith said it was the most difficult race of her life, saying: ‘That was the hardest 25 laps ever. I was very happy to finish tonight.
‘I was happy to make the start line and even happier to make the finish line. Even though I came last, I’m proud to be here as an Olympian.’
The race was anything but conventional, with one runner, Rahel Daniel, appearing to ‘wander off’ midway through the race in Paris.
Meanwhile, Team GB’s Megan Keith endured a tough race; it’s thought she was carrying an ankle injury
The Scottish runner was consoled by teammate Eilish McColgan (left), who finished in 15th place
The Eritrean runner was ahead of the field in the long-distance event under the lights at the Stade de France when she inexplicably decided to stroll of the track, leaving her rivals free to overtake her.
Daniel had been looking comfortable at the 2,000m mark of the race and was leading Japan‘s Rino Goshima.
Then, in a baffling incident, the athlete walked off the track as she entered the home straight on around the eight-minute mark of the contest.
The incident seemed to be prompted when Daniel appeared to stumble slightly before raising her hand to her face and spitting on the track.
The race wasn’t without drama elsewhere either; Rahel Daniel, who was leading the women’s Olympic 10,000m final, appeared to ‘wander off’ midway through the race
The Eritrean runner was ahead of the field in the long-distance event under the lights at the Stade de France
Japan’s Rino Goshima seized Daniel’s lead but soon fell down the order
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet eventually took the gold medal in a slow 10,000m final
The runner then peeled off from the rest of the pack to the bemusement of a packed crowd at the Stade de France.
Shortly after, she attempted to make her way out of the stadium before Olympic officials blocked her from getting out and made her walk around the side of the circuit.
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet eventually took the gold medal in a slow 10,000m final after Goshima fell down the order.
The reasons for Daniel’s departure from the race are as yet unconfirmed but the contest took place on a particularly humid night in the French capital.
Steve Cram said on BBC One: ‘This is a phenomenal athlete [Chebet]. A world record holder and now double Olympic champion.
‘She had to work hard for it in the end.’
Eritrea’s Daniel was not the only runner to pull out of the 10,000m mid-race with Alessia Zarbo, from France, exiting the contest after falling over – an incident which drew gasps from a concerned home support.
Eritrea’s Daniel went into the race with high hopes having finished fifth in the event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
Despite her mystifying early exit, just making the final ensured the athlete went one better than her performance at the Tokyo Games three years ago where she fell short in the semi-finals – that time in the 5,000m event.
