RIO DE JANEIRO _ Hassan Mead had run near the front of the pack all race, tucking himself into a pocket of leaders, running easily, conserving energy.
With about 250 meters remaining in the Olympic 5,000 meters on Wednesday morning, Mead held third place, and began veering toward open space. His legs tangled with those of British star Mo Farah. Farah stumbled but stayed upright. Mead fell, tearing skin and suffering more permanent damage.
The runner rose and finished, but dropped from fourth place before the fall to 13th in his heat. His time of 13:34.27 did not qualify him for the event final, and his appeal to be advanced to the final based on his standing before the fall was denied, according to USA Track & Field.
The top five from each of the two heats automatically advanced to the final, plus the next top five times. Mead's stumble cost him a chance at a medal.
"It's all pretty blurry," Mead said. "By the time I realized anything had happened, I was on the ground. What I think happened was I was inside of Mo, and I moved, and at the same time he moved in, so I didn't have a full stride and I ran into him.
"I don't know if you want to say he cut me off. That's why I was on the ground and trying to get up as fast as possible to finish. That's that."
Yes. That is that.
Mead is 27. After a successful career with the Minnesota Gophers, he began training for the Olympics. He finished eighth in the 5,000 meters at the 2012 U.S. trials. He spent the last four years training for the Rio Olympics. He qualified this summer, finishing second in the Trials, just 0.20 seconds behind Bernard Lagat.
He wasn't a favorite to medal this week, but he was a contender, and proved it with a controlled, tactical race at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday. "I felt great," he said. "I was thinking 'Top four' with 200 to go. I was in a good position. It's crazy."
After the race, his abrasions raw and red, Mead said he planned to file an appeal. "Hopefully," he said, "we'll be able to advance."
Tuesday on the same track, American Abbey D'Agnostino and New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin were running the women's 5,000 meters when D'Agnostino accidentally tripped Hamblin.
D'Agnostino stopped to help up Hamblin. When D'Agnostino realized she had been injured and began limping, Hamblin helped her. The two embraced when they finished, well out of contention.
For the men, sportsmanship was more a case of words than deeds. After Mead finished, Farah spoke to him and Lagat consoled him, then offered a fist bump.
"You train for four years dreaming about one thing and then it ends just right there, your dream," Lagat said. "You almost make the finals, and in the final 200 meters it's all gone. I hope they can do something to reinstate him. Because, really, that guy was going to go in anyway.
"I wanted him to know he has my support, 100 percent."
At 41, Lagat is proof that this doesn't have to be Mead's last chance to compete in the Olympics, but Mead's next chance would come when he's 31. It would require four more years of training, good health, and the good luck to not fall or be tripped in another qualifying race.
"When we were at the U.S. Trials, top three was the goal," Mead said. "That was the goal here."
As he talked after the race, his wounds bright red, sweat still pooling on his brow, he looked anything but distraught. "You fall, you've got one or two things you can do," Mead said. "You can stay down, or you can get up and finish."
He finished, the last steps of his first Olympics finding him all too alone.
