The nine athletes in the first preliminary race on the first morning of track and field at the Paris Olympics came from South Sudan, Laos, Turkmenistan, Niger, Palau, Paraguay, Mauritania, San Marino and Congo. Racing in the 100-meter dash, they hoped to finish in the top three and make it into the first round. Maybe they could tell their families years from now that they lined up next to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce or Sha’Carri Richardson.
Silinia Pha Aphay, the Laotian sprinter, ran in Lane 2. Halfway through the race, she saw the blur to her left crumble. Lucia Moris, the runner in Lane 1 from South Sudan, had fallen.
Pha Aphay crossed in 12.45 seconds, her best time this season but only good enough for sixth place. Her Olympics were over before 11 a.m. on the first morning of track and field. As she processed that disappointment, Pha Aphay heard the horrible noise that echoed through Stade de France.
