Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma is recovering the day after a fall that shocked fans at the men's 3,000 metres steeplechase final, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday.

"We understand he is in good shape and he is okay, he is recovering," the IOC said in a statement.

The 23-year-old world record holder was sprinting at full speed when he tripped over the third-from-last barrier on the final lap and crashed onto the track, where he lay motionless for several minutes in a worrying scene on Wednesday.

The concerned crowd gave a smattering of applause as he was carried out of the Stade de France on a stretcher wearing a neck brace and he was later taken to hospital.

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