Bhutan’s Kinzang Lhamo Gets Standing Ovation As She Finishes 80th In Women’s Olympic Marathon

When Bhutan’s Kinzang Lhamo was selected to run the women’s marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, she would become the first woman to ever represent Bhutan in athletics at the Olympics.

With a personal best more than an hour slower than most of the field, she wasn’t there to win medals or break records – though a new personal best would be good – she just wanted to finish the marathon.

At 7.00am, over 90 women started the Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon. Two hours and 23 minutes later, the first four women had finished, and a new Olympic record had been broken by the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan. Lhamo was still 14km from finishing.

As more and more runners finished, and 11 dropped out, the 79th woman completed the race in 2:55, and Lhamo remained as the last woman on the course. In a wonderful display of the Olympic spirit, the fans stayed with her, both on the course and in the seats set up around the finish line. They weren’t leaving until she completed her race. 

The 26-year-old Lhamo joined the Royal Bhutan Army four years ago, which is when she started running – and realised she was good at it, ascending to become one of the best runners in her country. She’s run ultramarathons and was the first female finisher of the Bhutan International Marathon in both 2023 and 2024. Her time in the 2024 race was a personal best of 3:26, and was fast enough for seventh overall.

With those marathon wins, Lhamo was nominated to take part in the Olympics via the World Athletics Universality Programme, which supports athletes from nations with less-developed sports programmes to participate in the Olympics. Lhamo’s strong domestic achievements were enough to get her to the Games without needing to run the official qualifying time set by World Athletics, which for the women’s marathon is 2:26:50. 

She was one of only three members of the Bhutan Olympic team, and was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony.

As the race progressed and the temperature increased, Lhamo struggled and slowed down. She walked for much of the last 5km, but the crowds didn’t just stand by, and they walked with her, their number growing in momentum and support, carrying colourful flags from all countries, united in their support of the Bhutanese runner, as they collectively made their way into central Paris. 

🤩C'est ça aussi les J.O 🤩
👏👏👏La marathonienne Lhamo Kinzang qui n'a pas baissé les bras et a terminé son marathon même en marchant et suivie par des centaines de supporters pour la pousser dans les derniers km🥹#marathon #Paris2024 #Olympic2024 #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/UQrGSIvSFs

— catourneovale (@catourneovale) August 11, 2024

With the finish line approaching, Lhamo began to run again, and the crowds ran with her as the noise increased to rival the cheering that’d been heard 90 minutes earlier when the medallists arrived. 

Kinzang Lhamo finished the women’s Olympic marathon to a standing ovation from the crowd who had been following her progress on big screens set up by the finish line.

Her time of 3:52:59 wasn’t the personal best she’d hoped for before the race, but for those watching on the course or at home, this was one of the best moments of the Games, a unifying and heartwarming symbol of determination to finish your race at the Olympics, and of what it means to celebrate every athlete taking part. 

Photo Getty Images / Cameron Spencer