Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand and Abbey D’Agostino of U.S. embrace post race.
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Hamblin and D’Agostino ran the last mile to finish the race, though D’Agostino hobbled as best she could off of the knee injury she sustained when she fell.
D’Agostino got up but saw Hamblin was in distress and injured from the fall. “I’m so impressed and inspired that she did that”, Hamblin told reporters Tuesday.
“When I went down it was like, “what’s happening?”
It wasn’t until D’Agostino showed a bit of stability that Hamblin rejoined the race while the American runner made a determined effort to finish on her own. This is the Olympics Games.
“Get up. We have to finish this”.
“I am so grateful to Abbey for doing that for me”, Hamblin said via USA Today. But it was still heartwarming to see them come together on the Olympic track in Rio Tuesday.
Hamblin described D’Agostino as “an awesome woman” and revealed that the pair had never met before the collision. Even though Hamblin appeared to be uninjured, she went back to D’Agostino to help her up.
Olympic officials have chose to take exception to the two runners, stating that both Hamblin and D’Agnostino would return in Friday’s upcoming race.
D’Agostino regularly refers to her faith in Instagram posts, and past year tweeted fellow United States athlete Chanelle Price saying her Christian faith was inspiring. In her second fall, it was Hamblin who returned the favour and was her helping hand.
But the 24-year-old insists that’s not what’s most important to her about her first Olympics experience.
D’Agostino was then taken away in a wheelchair, but still managed a smile.
“She she ran four and a half laps barely being able to run”. I tried to help her.
The two girls are being praised for their spirit and after protest from fans, the two were advanced to Friday’s final.
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Hamblin later told a New Zealand radio station: “When I look back on Rio 2016, I’m not going to remember where I finished, I’m not going to remember my time. but I’ll always remember that moment”.
