Cristhian Pacheco abandons the Paris 2024 Olympic marathon due to injury

He athlete Peruvian was unable to complete the demanding 42-kilometer race due to injury, in a race that crowned Tamirat Tola with a new Olympic record.

The Peruvian long-distance runner Christian Pachecowho was competing this Saturday in the men’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, had to abandon the race due to an injury that prevented him from continuing. Pacheco, 31, was participating in his third Olympic event, but his experience in this edition was cut short when he was forced to retire between kilometers 15 and 20 of the course.

The men’s marathon is one of the most iconic events at the Olympic Games, and on this occasion it was marked by the outstanding performance of Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola, who not only took home the gold medal, but also set a new Olympic record with a time of 2:06:26. This time surpassed the previous mark set by Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru in Beijing 2008. Silver went to Belgium’s Bashir Abdi, who crossed the finish line in 2:06:47, while bronze went to Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, with a time of 2:07:00.

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The marathon route took athletes past some of Paris’ most iconic landmarks, including the Palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower, before finishing at Les Invalides. However, not all competitors were able to complete the 42.195 kilometres. Cristhian Pacheco, one of Peru’s hopes in this competition, was affected by an injury that forced him to withdraw, putting an end to his aspirations in this event.

In Latin America, Chilean Carlos Díaz achieved the best position, finishing in 53rd place with a time of 2:14:25. He was followed by fellow Chilean Hugo Catrileo in 59th place, and Bolivian Héctor Garibay, who finished in 60th place.

The 2024 Paris men’s marathon will be remembered not only for the new Olympic record, but also for the absence of two great figures: Eliud Kipchoge, who was unable to win his third consecutive gold, and the Peruvian Cristhian Pacheco, who retired before completing the challenge.