John Stephen Akhwari

John Stephen Akhwari (b. 1938 in Mbulu, Tanganyika) was an Olympic athlete at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. He represented Tanzania in the marathon.

During the race he fell, badly cutting his knee and dislocating the joint. Rather than quitting, he continued running. He finished last among the 74 competitors. When asked why he continued running, he said simply, "My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish." Akhwari competed for ten years after the 1968 Olympics. He finished fifth in the marathon at the 1970 Commonwealth Games. There was an article written up in Delta's Sky Magazine.

Akhwari has lent his name to the John Stephen Akhwari Athletic Foundation, an organization which supports Tanzanian athletes training for the Olympic Games. He was invited to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Recently, he appeared in Beijing as a goodwill ambassador in preparation for the 2008 Games.

External links

* [http://en.beijing2008.cn/education/stories/n214077658.shtml Article on Akhwari] at the Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games