>> Rose Harvey/instagram
At the 2024 Olympics, a total of 80 track and field athletes were able to cross the finish line in the marathon distance, while 11 did not finish the race. Among the 80 athletes who covered the 42 kilometers of the track is the 31-year-old Briton Harvey, who finished 78th with a personal best of the season.
British runner Rose Harvey ran the women's marathon at the 2024 Olympic Games with a broken leg. The athlete announced this on her Instagram page.
In the post, the athlete said that she felt discomfort in her thigh during training, but hoped that she would be able to overcome the distance without problems. However, during the marathon, Harvey did not escape injury.
The training was fantastic, but then I developed a strain in my hip. We were all optimistic that a little adrenaline on race day would help us run the marathon, Harvey wrote.
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After running a couple of miles [about 3 km], I quickly realized that this was not going to happen. The next [distance] was a painful battle. It turned out I had a stress fracture in my femur. In any other race I would have stopped and there were so many moments when I thought I couldn't take another step. The descents were hell, the athlete said.
However, the 31-year-old British woman was able to finish. She wrote that she wanted to fulfill her dream and run a marathon in her debut Olympic Games.
Even though most of my race goals were out of reach, there was still a tiny piece of my Olympic dream that I could hold on to – and that was finishing the Olympic marathon. I couldn't give up. She constantly told herself to smile, soak up the energy of the incredible crowd and just put one foot on the other. This is something I will never forget – participation in the Olympic Games. Being able to share the race with so many of my wonderful friends and family meant everything to me, Harvey added.
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