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When I was looking for that other story, I saw this one as well:
Pyambu Tuul's Marathon run, Barcelona 1992
Pyambu Tuul was a Mongolian running in the 1992 Olympic marathon. His country was previously mainly known for its prowess in wrestling. And that's all. But Pyambu Tuul trained and trained and was sent to do his best in the Games' most gruelling event.
Soon after the start of the race he fell back to the rear of the field. Everyone was going too fast for him. He must have felt keenly the speed with which the other runners ran way ahead. In the end when Hwang Young-cho of Korea crossed the line in the Gold medal position, clocking 2 hours 13 minutes and 23 seconds, Tuul still was about two hours away from the stadium.
Officials looked anxiously at their watches. The closing ceremony was fast approaching and the configuration of the main stadium floor had to be changed around to accommodate dance sequences and the like. Millions would be tuning in the see the Olympic conclude with due dignity.
So a decision was made that any runner slower than three hours would be guided away from a main stadium finish and would instead complete his marathon on the training track next door.
In the end the only one that hasty rule applied to was Pyambu Tuul of Mongolia. He was directed to the training track and in the dark with only one spotlight from an official to show the way, he jogged painfully to the finish. His time when it was officially announced was a couple of minutes over four hours.
Reporters rushed to see Tuul as this was deemed a good story. Tuul was asked, "How come your time was this slow? Is this the greatest day in your life? Questions like that.
At a press conference Tuul answered quietly and calmly. Through an interpreter he said, "No, my time was not slow, after all you could call my run a Mongolian Olympic marathon record."
He carried on. "And as for it being the greatest day of my life, no it isn't."
The reporters craned forward with their notebooks at the ready. Tuul said, "Up till six months ago I had no sight at all. I was a totally blind person. When I trained it was only with the aid of friends who ran with me. But a group of doctors came to my country last year to do humanitarian medical work. One doctor took a look at my eyes and asked me questions. I told him I had been unable to see since childhood. He said 'But I can fix your sight with a simple operation'. So he did the operation on me and after 20 years I could see again. So today wasn't the greatest day of my life. The best day was when I got my sight back and I saw my wife and two daughters for the first time. And they are beautiful."
I ran blind a long time as well, I'm so blessed to finally see Grace for what it is and to finally find my place in my Daddy's lap
John O.
Pyambu Tuul's Marathon run, Barcelona 1992
Pyambu Tuul was a Mongolian running in the 1992 Olympic marathon. His country was previously mainly known for its prowess in wrestling. And that's all. But Pyambu Tuul trained and trained and was sent to do his best in the Games' most gruelling event.
Soon after the start of the race he fell back to the rear of the field. Everyone was going too fast for him. He must have felt keenly the speed with which the other runners ran way ahead. In the end when Hwang Young-cho of Korea crossed the line in the Gold medal position, clocking 2 hours 13 minutes and 23 seconds, Tuul still was about two hours away from the stadium.
Officials looked anxiously at their watches. The closing ceremony was fast approaching and the configuration of the main stadium floor had to be changed around to accommodate dance sequences and the like. Millions would be tuning in the see the Olympic conclude with due dignity.
So a decision was made that any runner slower than three hours would be guided away from a main stadium finish and would instead complete his marathon on the training track next door.
In the end the only one that hasty rule applied to was Pyambu Tuul of Mongolia. He was directed to the training track and in the dark with only one spotlight from an official to show the way, he jogged painfully to the finish. His time when it was officially announced was a couple of minutes over four hours.
Reporters rushed to see Tuul as this was deemed a good story. Tuul was asked, "How come your time was this slow? Is this the greatest day in your life? Questions like that.
At a press conference Tuul answered quietly and calmly. Through an interpreter he said, "No, my time was not slow, after all you could call my run a Mongolian Olympic marathon record."
He carried on. "And as for it being the greatest day of my life, no it isn't."
The reporters craned forward with their notebooks at the ready. Tuul said, "Up till six months ago I had no sight at all. I was a totally blind person. When I trained it was only with the aid of friends who ran with me. But a group of doctors came to my country last year to do humanitarian medical work. One doctor took a look at my eyes and asked me questions. I told him I had been unable to see since childhood. He said 'But I can fix your sight with a simple operation'. So he did the operation on me and after 20 years I could see again. So today wasn't the greatest day of my life. The best day was when I got my sight back and I saw my wife and two daughters for the first time. And they are beautiful."
I ran blind a long time as well, I'm so blessed to finally see Grace for what it is and to finally find my place in my Daddy's lap
John O.
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