“My country did not send me 8,000 kilometres to start the race, they sent me 8,000 kilometres to finish it.” John Stephen Akhwari’s words continue to inspire thousands of people to this day!
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John Akhwari: a fall halfway through
Tanzanian runner John Stephen Akhwari competed in the marathon at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. It was a dream come true for him!
But that dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Just before the halfway point, he fell and seriously injured his right knee. Still, he refused to drop out!
His leg was bandaged and he returned to the race, limping as he alternated between walking and running. He was determined to finish, not only for himself, but for his entire country!
A gold medal for courage
The winner, Ethiopian runner Mamo Wolde, claimed victory in 2:20:26. More than an hour later, the stadium had already begun to empty.
But the few thousand spectators who remained gave John Akhwari a standing ovation as he entered the stadium tunnel. They hailed him as a hero and awarded him the gold medal for courage!
The Tanzanian crossed the finish line with his leg bandaged and a limp, clocking 3:25:27 to take a hugely deserved 57th and final place. Of the 75 runners who started, all the others had dropped out.
The rest of John Akhwari’s career
He went on to race for another decade, including a fifth-place finish in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in 2:15:05.
What about you, are you ready to chase your marathon dreams all the way to the finish line? Maybe at the Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon Pour Tous 😉.
Relive John Akhwari’s race at the 1968 Mexico City Marathon in this video.