The finish line should have been the happiest moment of his life. He had completed 42.2 kilometres, collected his finisher’s medal and achieved what thousands of recreational runners aspire to. But within minutes, the celebration turned into tragedy.

On November 1, 2026, Kommineni Gopi, a 36-year-old software engineer working with IBM and a resident of Manikonda in Hyderabad , collapsed shortly after completing the Hyderabad Hi-Tech Full Marathon at Gachibowli Stadium. According to media reports, he had collected his medal and was walking towards the breakfast area when he suddenly collapsed. Event organisers rushed to his aid, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and shifted him to a nearby hospital. He was declared dead, possibly because of a heart attack, which is caused by blockage in the arteries, or a sudden cardiac arrest, when the heart stops as electrical impulses shut down.…