The Last Runner
____ last runner finished the race more than an hour before.
“There will be no ____ runners coming,” the officials decided.
They removed the tape at the finish line and started to prepare for the closing ceremony for ____ 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics in the United States.
Someone shouted, ____ There comes another runner!”
A runner was just entering the stadium, but there was something wrong ____ his legs.
Still, he kept going toward the finish ____
The band and the volunteers stopped their preparations for the closing ____
All eyes were on the runner.
Suddenly, the band started playing celebration music, and the volunteers ____
“Go! Go! Go for it!” Two volunteers ran to the finish ____ with a tape.
Finally, the runner ran through the tape and ____ fell to the ground.
His ____ was Abdul Baser Wasiqi. He was from Afghanistan.
Reporters came up to Wasiqi and started asking ____ questions.
____ happened to you?
I ____ my leg during a practice run.
The injury got worse during ____ race, but I couldn’t give up.
Why not? You knew that you were too far ____ to win a medal.
I’m the only athlete ____ representing Afghanistan.
There was no way ____ could give up.
Reporter: Afghanistan is still at war, isn’t it?
Yes, we have been at war for ____ years.
That’s why we were not able to send athletes to the Barcelona Olympics four ____ ago.
I was sad for ____ country back then when I could see no Afghan athletes in the opening ceremony.
____ you running marathons then?
No. I started running ____ Barcelona.
I ran in lots of races. Finally ____ won a marathon in Germany.
As a ____ I was able to come to Atlanta.
____ do you feel now?
I’m proud of myself and proud to ____ from Afghanistan.
For me and my country, it ____ important not to give up.
I didn’t come here ____ win. For me, it was enough to be here and to finish the race.