Moirangthem Linthoin (191) from Manipur sits on the ground after crossing the finish line during the ongoing 3rd North East Games in Kohima on March 19. (Morung Photo)
Injured runner finishes last but wins applause
Rebecca Kits Jakhalu
Kohima | March 19
On Tuesday, March 19, cheers and applause filled the Indira Gandhi (IG) Stadium in Kohima as the women’s 1500m race came to a thrilling end.
Assam’s Pahi Keot (No. 147) had finished with the winning time of 4:53.023 and Nagaland’s Niansai T (No. 280) came second at 4:54.743 while Gloryfy Kurbah from Meghalaya finished third (4:54.893) as athletes games in the ongoing 3rd North East Games, hosted by Nagaland state, began in Kohima.
However, another runner caught the spectators’ attention long after the winners had been declared.
Dead tired and almost limping, runner number 191 was last by a wide margin in the 1500-metres and plodding alone along the tracks. She had suffered an injury in the first lap and could not keep up with the rest of the runners, but 14-year-old Moirangthem Linthoin from Manipur had already made up her mind to finish the race, no matter what.
She came to Nagaland, eager to run at the North East Games, and represent her State, Manipur.
On the race day, she stood alongside some of the best runners in the North East, ready to run and hopefully, win.
However, tragedy struck as Linthoin suffered an injury in the first lap of the race and failed to keep up with the rest of the runners.
She finished the race anyway.
“I knew it was too late to compete, but I decided that I will not stop,” said Linthoin, speaking to The Morung Express on Tuesday. As she trudged along, a group of supporters clapped and cheered her on.
Finally, after managing to reach the finish line at 7 minutes, 19 seconds, Linthoin fell to the ground and burst into tears as she buried her face in her hands. She was helped off the tracks by the technical officials and members of her State’s contingent.
After being attended to, Linthoin sat with a wry smile in the stands, cheering her teammates on.
“I am disappointed that I couldn’t win, but I gave it my all despite the injury, and I will come back stronger,” she added.
Although Linthoin had fallen so far behind that she was not visible among the front runners, her perseverance and determination made for quite an inspiring performance.
According to reports, a contingent of more than 300 athletes from the state of Manipur, including officials, are participating in the 3rd North East Games which will culminate on March 23.
