Zátopek then kissed and embraced Mimoun, saying, "You did great, Alain." In a later interview with Sports Illustrated, Mimoun said, "For me, that was better than the medal". That was the last time Mimoun raced against Zátopek.[2][3][4][5] [30][31] [32] "When I entered the stadium's tunnel and came out onto the track, cheered by 100,000 spectators, I experienced the finest minutes of my life," Mimoun said later.[9]