“That girl, is the Olympic spirit right there”, Hamblin said about D’Agostino.
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They were the last two finishers – Hamblin in 16min 43.61sec, D’Agostino 26.41sec behind – and embraced closely before D’Agostino was taken away in a wheelchair for treatment.
And returning the support, Hamblin hung back with D’Agostino in the race track, offering encouragement as the American runner kept running with the injury.
Hamblin added: “I’m so grateful for Abbey for doing that for me. That girl is the Olympic spirit right there”, said Hamblin, who was also granted a place in the final despite not qualifying.
The pair have been praised worldwide for encouraging and helping each other to finish the race.
However, D’Agostino will not compete as she sustained serious knee injuries in the fall.
D’Agostino and Hamblin authored one of the most touching moments of the Games on Tuesday after getting tangled up midway through the race. D’Agostino got up, but Hamblin was just lying there.
“I’m never going to forget that moment”.
She raced into our hearts with her selflessness, but Abbey D’Agostino won’t be running again anytime soon.
“If I hadn’t waited for her or tried to help her I would have been 10 or fifteen seconds quicker and what does that matter?”
“There was about 2k to go, I was still feeling controlled, and was mentally preparing to focus and maintain contact with the lead group for the final grind”, D’Agostino said Wednesday morning in a statement. Suddenly, however, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Now far from the rest of the pack, Hamblin helped D’Agostino up and encouraged her to finish the race. And isn’t that just so wonderful.
The Olympic games have found one of the most touching moments of these games. “Such an awesome woman”, Hamblin said in a later interview.
Two track and field athletes from New Zealand and the United States of America have put on an inspiring display of Olympic spirit at Rio’s latest track event. “When someone asks me what happened in Rio in twenty years” time, that’s my story… But D’Agostino could not keep going as her knee had apparently twisted awkwardly in the fall.
Hamblin has indicated she will run in the final.
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The pair was subsequently given places in the 5,000m final after the US and New Zealand teams successfully protested.
