26-year-old Kinzang Lamo carried Bhutan’s flag at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. She was the only woman among the three Bhutanese athletes who competed. Kinjang is serving in the Bhutanese army. He started running only after joining the army. In 2023 and 2024, Bhutan won the marathon medal. Earlier in 2022, Lamo finished second in a 126-mile run through the Himalayas. Kinzang Lamo participated in the Paris Olympics marathon on July 11. It is far from getting a medal there, being the last competitor. However, the Paris Olympics gave him a ‘standing ovation’. But why did this Bhutanese athlete get such honor?
The track of this year’s Olympic marathon was hilly in hot weather. Kinzang Lamo was the last athlete to complete the marathon on July 11. Lamo touched the finish line an hour and a half later than the marathon champion. Lamo took 3 hours 52 minutes 59 seconds to complete the marathon. Lamo’s pace slowed down a bit during the last mile. But still he ran. At this time, the spectators also encouraged him by cycling and running beside him. Not giving up, Lamo finished the Olympic marathon as the 80th female runner. Winning isn’t the end, participation is the real thing—Kinjang is seen by audiences around the world as the embodiment of this Olympic spirit. Kinzang Lamo received a standing ovation and applause from everyone for maintaining his sportsmanship to the end despite losing hope of winning a medal.
In the video, the audience was encouraging Kinjang by clapping and chanting ‘Go Go’. In the Olympics, where every nanosecond counts for deciding the prize, Kinjang Lamo didn’t give up even though the previous runner had gone ahead long ago. He was determined to complete his marathon. Sometimes he walked slowly, but never stopped. First a spectator started cheering him on. Seeing him, many other spectators started cheering. A Bhutanese supporter was also in the audience. The supporter waved a Bhutanese flag to encourage Kinzang and ran for about 10 kilometers by his side until the end. When Kinjang finished his run, the crowd shared his celebration with clapping and shouting. Everyone stood up and congratulated Kinjang for his steadfast spirit and winning spirit. The TV commentator then commented, ‘I can’t remember if an Olympic marathon runner has been on the field that long. I’ve never seen a runner in last place receive such a reception.’ Crossing the finish line at Kinjang, it felt like everyone had won—humanity had won. Even though he was the last runner, the TV commentator declared Lamo the true champion of the marathon.
At the Paris Olympics, Kinzang finished much slower than his best time. Kinzang Lamo is now being talked about all over the world for showing such determination as an Olympic athlete. Kinzang Lamo is being compared to another marathon runner, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania, after finishing the Paris Marathon in such a long time. Stephen Akhwari was injured midway through the 1968 Olympic Marathon, but finished the race. Asked why John ran despite knowing the end, Stephen Akhwari said, ‘My country didn’t send me 5,000 miles to start running. sent me to finish the race.’
