Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand and fellow competitor Abbey D’Agostino exemplified the Olympic spirit on Tuesday.
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Abbey D’Agostino made news headlines on August 16 when she helped New Zealander Nikki Hamblin up from the track after the two collided into each other during the 5,000-meter semifinal round.
United States runner D’Agostino helped New Zealand’s Hamblin up.
Hamblin only resumed the round one, heat two race at the Olympic Stadium when she knew D’Agostino was over the worst.
Hamblin Recounts that “suddenly this hand on my shoulder, like ‘Get up, get up, we have to finish this, ‘ and I was like, ‘Yup, yup, you’re right”.
The American who captured the hearts of thousands at the Olympics is out of the Rio Games through injury. “Get up! We have to finish this”.
The US athlete and New Zealander Nikki Hamblin were lauded for embodying true Olympic spirit after Hamblin fell during the race, tripping up D’Agostino. I’ve never met this girl before, and isn’t that just so awesome? “Such an incredible 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 said Wednesday morning in a statement.
She would have been able to compete in the 5,000 finals had she been healthy enough to do so.
After being involved in an incident that saw runners Nikki Hamblin from New Zealand and Abbey D’Agostino crash to the track. Even though Hamblin appeared to be uninjured, she went back to D’Agostino to help her up. I tried to help her.
“I mean, as disappointing as this experience is for myself and for Abbey, there is so much more to this than a medal or winning”, Hamblin said.
“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”, she said.
“Come on, get up”, D’Agostino told Hamblin, who recalled the encounter for USA Today.
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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.
