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Two Kenyans, one Ethiopian, one Jamaican and one Qatari make up the top five flops from Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Olympic Games saw the rise of new talent but some athletes, who went there as favourite, failed to live up to the billing on the global stage.
The likes of Ferdinand Omanyala and Eliud Kipchoge went into the race hoping to make an impact and inspire the next generation of athletes but exited the Olympic stage with little celebration.
1. Ferdinand Omanyala (Kenya) 100m
The Kenyan sprinter went to Paris Olympics waving the second fastest 100m time in 2024 placard (9.78) a fraction of a second behind Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson (9.77).
Omanyala was also scoffing at criticism of only posting good times and results on Kenyan soil and promised better heading into his second Olympic Games.
He was determined to prove doubters wrong and won Heat 2 of the 100m race in 10.08 to get his campaign off and book a place in the semifinal.
However, his hopes and that of many Kenyans rooting for him were shredded to pieces when he crashed out in the semis, registering another 10.8 results as he finished second from bottom in the second semifinal. The race was won by Thompson who went on to claim silver in the final.
2. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) Marathon
A British newspaper summarized Kipchoge’s woes with this headline; “World’s greatest marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge takes TAXI to the finish line after he was forced to walk and then quit the race”
After dominating the 42km race for a long time the athletics legend hoped to sign off with a flourish and three-peat of Olympic gold medals in the marathon.
This time it was not to be as he started to fall off the leading pack and clutched at his waist, signaling discomfort. The marathon great eventually succumbed to the punishing demands of hilly course and quit the race.
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3. Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) High Jump
He did not flop in that manner. No, he won Bronze in the men’s High Jump. Except he’s Mutaz Barshim; the poster boy for high jump. A gold standard high flyer.
The 33-year-old Qatar athlete had won in the two previous Olympic gold medals in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. He’s a boss in this discipline and goes about his business carefree.
In his customary cap and sun glasses Barshim hardly follows proceedings of fellow competitors. He sets the bar high, clears it and then finds a comfortable spot to sleep waiting for his next turn. You see? The guy’s confidence has always been sky-high. In Paris he started off as usual, superbly, clearing the bar at 2.22, 2.27, 2.31 and 2.34 before running into headwinds and 2.36. For an athlete boasting a 2.43 Personal Best height Barshim was bewildered and his lack of altitude at such a crucial moment. He sat up, started to follow proceedings and other athletes but eventually bowed out with a bronze.
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4. Selemon Barega (Ethiopia) 10,000m
He is only 24-year-old but Selemon Barega has been so dominant in the long distances so much that you can mistake him to be 30. The Ethiopian won the men’s 10,000m gold medal in Tokyo Olympics and was expected to show Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda dust in Paris.
Flanked by compatriots Yomif Kejelcha and Berihu Aregawi won took silver, Barega wa top dog from Emperor Haile Selassie’s fabled land.
With the Ethiopians switching leads among themselves and the eventual winner marooned about 20 meters back, the race seemed headed to Ethiopia. However, at the crucial moment Cheptegei made his move and no one had an answer, including the much hyped Barega.
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5. Hansle Parchment (Jamaica) 110mH
The Jamaican spectacularly failed to defend his Olympic title from Tokyo 2020, finishing last in the 110m hurdles final. Parchment had served and thrilling contest with happy-go-lucky American Grant Holloway in this competition and Paris promised even more tension between the two antagonists.
However, the 34-year-old Jamaican started displaying signs of rust and barely made it into the final. It has happened that sometimes big athletes struggle to get into the finals and then give big performances when the occasion demands. However, it was not to be for Parchment as Holloway ran off to ring the bell as the Jamaican dragged to finish the race last.
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