“That girl is the Olympic spirit right there”, Hamblin said after the race.
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Nikki Hamblin from New Zealand and Abbey D’Agostino from the U.S. were racing in the women’s 5000 metre race yesterday when both runners stumbled and fell to the ground.
Hamblin only resumed the round one, heat two race at the Olympic Stadium when she knew D’Agostino was over the worst.
But D’Agostino was in severe pain, and it looked like she had taken an injury, and couldn’t run.
“I went down, and I was like, What s happening?”
This show of sportsmanship captures the true spirit of the Olympic games. “Get up! We have to finish this”.
“I m so grateful for Abbey for doing that for me”. That girl was the Olympic spirit right there. I’ve never met this girl before, and isn’t that just so wonderful? “Such an wonderful woman”, Hamblin said in a later interview.
“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, who is from Topsfield, Mass., said Wednesday morning in a statement.
The 24-year old American appeared to have twisted her right knee in the collision, and was able to limp over the line before being helped to a wheelchair. But instead of running off to re-join the pack, she made sure to help an injured Hamblin to her feet.
The two shared a hug after finishing the race – Nikki finished with a time 16:43 and Abbey with a time of 17:10 – and I have to say, this is truly the meaning of the Olympics.
In a statement released on Wednesday, D’Agostino said she had no regrets about the way things ended and believed God was using her for a bigger goal beyond athletics. Suddenly, however, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“She’s still very young for a distance runner”. “When someone asks me what happened in Rio in 20 years” time, that’s my story …
“I’m never going to forget that moment”. Both runners fell and helped each other up as they struggled.
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Both runners have been added to the field for Friday’s final – any lingering injury problems permitting – after their team officials submitted successful protests.
