The event was the women’s 5,000 metres when two athletes – Abbey D’Agostino from America and Nikki Hamblin from New Zealand – bumped into each other and tripped during the race.
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“We’re all so focused on whether we get a medal or whether you win”, she told NZ Newswire.
Still, D’Agostino gamely finished the 3.1-mile circuit, embracing Hamblin at the finish line before exiting the stadium in a wheelchair.
Despite the poor finish, they both will advance to the final due to having been tripped.
D’Agostino and Hamblin authored one of the most touching moments of the Games on Tuesday after getting tangled up midway through the race.
Once they both started running again, it was D’Agostino who had trouble continuing when her right knee, which she twisted in the fall, started to give out on her. But instead of leaving the New Zealand runner behind, the 24-year-old helped her rival up.
She then turned to her and helped her up, sacrificing her own race. “She was pretty bad”, Hamblin said, who eventually left D’Agostino behind and was certain the American would have to stop.
ESPN reports D’Agostino hurt her knee in the fall, and was running slowly. Though the New Zealander was clearly distraught, D’Agostino encouraged her to join her in attempting to finish the race. D’Agostino, coming from behind, hit Hamblin and fell as well.
Speaking after the race, Hamblin said: “That girl is the Olympic spirit right there”.
The two runners were reinstated as finalists by the organisers, if they are fit enough to race in Friday night’s final.
Now that’s what you call Olympic spirit! We didn’t get D’Agostino’s side of the story, however, as she was whisked away for medical attention. Hamblin wanted her to run, but D’Agostino asked her to continue. And I know that she’s young and she’s going to have so many more opportunities. It was a moment that Hamblin has said she will never forget.
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Initially it looked as if both women, and a third runner involved in the collision – Jennifer Wenth of Austria – had failed to qualify for the final.
