MALAIKA MIHAMBO collapsed and broke down in tears after winning a silver medal.
The German athlete claimed silver in the long jump as she was unable to match her gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics.
Unter dem Stress des Olympiafinales vor Millionenpublikum bricht die frischgebackene deutsche Silbermedaillengewinnerin Malaika Mihambo heulend zusammen, bekommt keine Luft.
— Climate Realism (@corona_realism) August 8, 2024
Natürlich nicht etwa eine klassische Panikattacke, laut ARD-Flitzpiepen kann es nur Covid seinpic.twitter.com/njCyyLftaW
The athlete landed with her biggest jump of 6.98m, which fell 12cm behind gold medal winner USA‘s Tara Davis-Woodhall.
It meant that Mihambo, 30, was just short of becoming the first long jumper to win two gold medals in a row in the Olympics.
However, after the event she was taken out of the arena in a wheelchair.
She was taken out under the supervision of five members of the medical staff.
It has been reported that she had started to have breathing problems.
SunSport understands that Mihambo caught Covid two months ago in Rome and was forced to stop training.
Despite recovering from the virus she still felt problems with breathing which continued after the event.
German TV expert Frank Busemann said: “It’s terrible to see.
“It’s too much for her body. Her mind is always fresh, but her body can’t handle it.”
American Davis-Woodhall topped the podium with her best jump of 7.10m.
While bronze went to another American, as Jasmine Moore completed with a jump of 6.96m.
She is not the only Olympian to have struggled with the effects of Covid.
USA sprinter Noah Lyles was wheeled away after winning bronze in the 200m.
It was later confirmed that he had tested positive for Covid earlier this week.
Team GB‘s Adam Peaty also suffered from Covid when he won silver in the swimming.
