I have fought the good...
Illustration
"I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith." By 7:00 p.m. on October 20, 1968, at the Mexico City Olympic Stadium, it was beginning to darken. It had cooled down as well. The last of the Olympic marathon runners were being assisted away to the first-aid stations. Over an hour earlier, Mamo Wold of Ethiopia had charged across the finish line, winning the 26-mile, 385-yard race looking as strong and as vigorous as when he'd started. As the last few thousand spectators began preparing to leave, they heard police sirens and whistles through the gate entering the stadium. The attention turned to the gate. A sole figure, wearing the colors of Tanzania, came limping into the stadium. His name was John Steven Aquari. He was the last man to finish the marathon in 1968. His leg was bandaged and bloody. He had taken a bad fall early in the race. Now, it was all he could do to limp his way around the track. The crowd stood and applauded as he completed that last lap. When he crossed the finish line, one man interviewing him asked the question that many were wondering. He said, "You are badly injured. Why didn't you quit? Why didn't you give up?" Aquari, completely exhausted, said, "My country did not send me 7,000 miles to start this race. My country sent me 7,000 miles to finish it."
-- Riether
-- Riether
