Soon after the president crossed the finish line his horse fell, throwing him in front of other galloping horses which only just missed him. Dozens of black-suited security guards rushed over to attend to him. An ambulance eventually took him away. Foreign reporters trying to confirm that it really was the president who had taken a fall were asked by their minders not to make telephone calls, record video footage or report what was happening.
After about 40 minutes the president reappeared in traditional Turkmen dress to a large round of applause. He calmly waved at the crowd, apparently unharmed, and the event resumed as if nothing had happened. Journalists were then assembled by officials and asked politely to erase all pictures and footage taken of the incident, which was described as a "sporting accident" of no interest to people at home or abroad. But footage of the accident was nevertheless taken out of the stadium.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his horse Berkarar (Mighty), of the national Akhal-Teke breed, were the first to stride across the finish line, claiming an $11 million prize. The strongman, who is known as Arkadag (the Patron), bested six other riders by completing the1,000-meter course in 21.2 seconds, and proclaimed that he would donate his winnings to a state-run company that breeds horses.
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