3,000 meters into the dash, New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin took a nasty step and tumbled to the ground, bringing the United States’ Abbey D’Agostino down with her on accident.
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D’Agostino helped Hamblin get up from the track after the collision, and Hamblin returned the favor when D’Agostino tried to continue the race but was in too much pain to resume a competitive pace. D’Agostino recovered quickly and extended her hand to Hamblin who was just lying on the tracks, crying.
Following the collision between the two athletes, D’Agostino wound up limping past the finish line in 17 minutes, 10.02 seconds.
“But that can be managed, and what’s happening now and just the moment that we get to be a part of is so cool, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart”, D’Agostino said. “Then suddenly this hand on my shoulder, like ‘get up, get up, we have to finish this” and I was like, ‘yep, you’re right.’ This is the Olympic Games-we have to finish this”. The scene is now infamous for epitomizing the spirit of the Olympic Games. We have to finish this’.
Olympian Abbey D’Agostino has credited her faith in God for the way she stopped to help a fellow competitor who fell down during the 5,000m qualifier in Rio on Tuesday. That girl was the Olympic spirit right there. Hamblin said. “I’m never going to forget that moment”. Such an awesome woman.
“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 in the statement.
As they continued the race, it became clear that D’Agostino’s injury was the more serious and her ankle had been badly hurt.
While Nikki lay there asking herself about what the heck was going on, Abbey grabbed her shoulder and mustered the strength to help her up.
D’Agostino was first to recover, urging Hambling to get back on her feet and finish the race. Following the race, the 24-year-old was carted off the track in a wheelchair and an MRI revealed that she had a torn ACL, a meniscus tear, and a strained MCL in her right knee.
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“When someone asks me what happened in Rio in 20 years” time, that is my story”, Hamblin said after the race.
