John Stephen Akhwari

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameJohn•Stephen Akhwari
Used nameJohn•Stephen Akhwari
Born1938 in Mbulu, Manyara (TAN)
Measurements160 cm / 50 kg
NOC United Republic of Tanzania

Biography

John Stephen Akhwari was a Tanzanian distance runner who ran the marathon at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He is best remembered as a subject in a Bud Greenspan film of those Olympics. Akhwari was hobbled by a leg injury, and ran with his knee fully bandaged, but he refused to quit, walking some, and limping many of the final miles. Greenspan’s cameras focused on Akhwari’s efforts to finish the race, long after the other finishers, and in the dark, quoting him as saying, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”

Akhwari, however, was actually a very good distance runner. He placed fifth in the marathon at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, and was ninth in the 10,000 metres at those Games. Akhwari also competed at the 1962 Commonwealth Games, placing sixth in the marathon. In Tanzania Akhwari was awarded the National Hero Medal of Honor in 1983, and started the John Stephen Akhwari Athletic Foundation that supports Tanzanian athletes training for the Olympics.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-15:05 (1970).

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1968 Summer Olympics Athletics TAN John Stephen Akhwari
Marathon, Men (Olympic) 57

Errata

Commonwealth Games data has a date of birth of 1 January 1942 and 1968 Entry Lists and Lyberg monograph both give only a year of birth of 1942, but the YOB of 1938 is from a personal Facebook post of 2 June 2012 when he stated that he was 74-years-old.