Kenyan Runner Frantically Crawls His Way To A Second-Place Finish
Michael Kunyuga was just a few feet from the finish line when he collapsed with a runner right on his heels.
Auf allen Vieren ins Ziel: Der Kenianer Michael Njenga Kunyuga (2. Platz) sorgte beim @Marathon_HAJ für ein Drama. ??? pic.twitter.com/CjJzJdDHhq
— NDR Sport (@NDRsport) April 8, 2018
Kenyan marathoner Michael Kunyuga was on the verge of a second-place finish at Sunday’s Hannover Marathon in Germany when his final push nearly caused a costly gaffe.
As he came down the final stretch, what appeared to be a healthy distance between second and third crumbled as he fell a few feet short of the finish line. This caused a heated battle for the runner-up spot as fellow Kenyan Duncan Koech could make one final attempt to catch Kunyuga, according to Capital FM, a Kenyan radio station.
After hitting the ground, Kunyuga began to crawl frantically toward the line, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic finish. However, he did end up with a personal best of 2:10:16. as Koech finished three seconds later. It also secured better prize money for Kunyuga: second place earned €4,000 while third place won €2,500.
Immediately after crossing the mat, medical personnel rushed to Kunyuga’s aid as he laid on the finishing mat.
Ethiopia’s Seboka Negussa Erre won the race in 2:09:44.
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