“I am so grateful to Abbey for helping me, ” Hamblin said.
Advertisement
American Abbey D’Agnostino and Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand were 3,000m into the race when D’Agnostino appeared to clip Hamblin’s heel, sending both tumbling to the ground. I’m so impressed and inspired that she did that. Like, I’ve never met this girl before, and isn’t that just so fantastic?
“Regardless of the race and the result on the board, that’s a moment that you’re never ever going to forget for the rest of your life, that girl shaking my shoulder, like “Come on, get up”. Once that happened, D’Agostino crumbled back to the track twice, her leg buckling both times, and the Kiwi runner stayed with her for some time before rejoining the race.
D’Agnostino immediately got up to help her rival, then, as it became clear that 24-year-old D’Agnostino had a right ankle injury, Hamblin tried to help her continue. D’Agostino hobbled her way through her remaining laps with a pained look on her face.
She told Hamblin to go on as she collapsed on to all fours on the track. It caused her to unintentionally trip D’Agostino, who was running behind her.
“She was saying ‘I can’t put weight on my knee.’ It was buckling”.
But that meant nothing to Hamblin, D’Agostino and the spectators in attendance, who cheered loudly as the pair embraced across the finish line. Both were advanced to the final, as well as a third runner, Jennifer Wenth of Australia.
Advertisement
D’Agotino was a seven-time NCAA champion while at Dartmouth College and holds a 5,000-meter PR of 15:03.85.
