The Sunday Mail
An elite runner failed to catch her flight home after going missing following the London Marathon. Mami Konneh Lahun was due to fly home on Monday but did not return to her temporary accommodation in Greenwich last Sunday and has not been seen since.
Lahun (24), of Sierra Leone, is on a six-month visa that was issued on April 7 on arrival, the Home Office said.
An official confirmed all runners who come to the UK to race get these sportsperson visit visas.
However, the athlete is not thought to have any links to the UK and is believed not to have a mobile phone.
On Monday, the British Met Police announced Lahun, who finished the women’s race in 20th place, had been found safe and well but later retracted their statement.
In a related incident, a man who collapsed at the finish line of the London Marathon has died, organisers said.
The 42-year-old received medical attention immediately after completing Sunday’s race but died in hospital.
A Virgin Money spokeswoman said: “The organisers of the Virgin Money London Marathon would like to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.”
About 36 000 people took part in the event — the 34th London Marathon.
The man’s death comes two years after Claire Squires collapsed and died on the final stretch of the 26.2-mile course.
The 30-year-old from Leicestershire died of cardiac failure. She had aimed to raise £500 for the Samaritans, but her death led to donations totalling more than £1m.
Wilson Kipsang from Kenya won the event in a new course record, while Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat won the women’s elite race.
Double Olympic champion Mo Farah, born in Britain of Somalian heritage, finished eighth in his first competitive marathon. — BBC.
