'Gastrointestinal accident' doesn't prevent Olympic walker from finishing

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During an Olympic race, athletes have have to fight the elements and other competitors to cross the finish line in the best position possible.

The one thing they shouldn’t have to fight is their bowels.

But that is what Frenchman Yohann Diniz did during the 50-kilometer walking event this morning. Not only did Diniz collapse in the middle of the race, he appeared to suffer what was deemed a “gastrointestinal accident” about 49 minutes in. A brown substance was seen leaking down his leg as he continued to race.

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It’s not enough that many people believe that Olympic walking is a joke (even if these athletes are walking eight-minute miles that those same people can’t even run), but to have an incident of that nature is a disaster.

Much to its credit, NBC will not release any video of Diniz’s accident, but Yahoo made due with what was available.

All jokes aside though, Diniz is an incredible competitor.

Yes, the man had an accident in what may have been the biggest moment of his life on the international stage. No one would have blamed him if he packed it in to save himself from further embarrassment.

But he didn’t.

He continued to race, and raced well. Despite his unfortunate accident, Diniz lead the pack for a substantial amount of time, and still finished eighth in the race. He may have gotten crushed for a while on the internet, but he was eventually lauded for completing the race under extreme circumstances.

That grit is what makes the Olympics special. Olympic glory isn’t about money and endorsements. It’s about completing a goal no what matter what obstacles are thrown at you.

Diniz went from catastrophe to triumph by plodding on even when things were at their worst.