“Get up, get up! We have to finish,” D’Agostino told her competitor Hamblin, “This is the Olympic Games. We have to finish this.” In this one moment these two athletes captured the true spirit of the 2016 Olympics.
With 2,000 meters of the 5,000 meters sprint left to go, New Zealand’s Hamblin tripped and fell, crashing into USA’s D’Agastino.
D’Agastino got up and extended her hand graciously and helped Hamblin up. She later fell down and Hamblin returned the favor and helped D’Agastino up. They ran the race together finally embracing each other at the finish line. They were awarded with the Fair Play award.
It’s truly riveting to witness such an honorable act especially when so much is at stake.
D’Agastino and Hamblin eventually finished the race in last place – D’Agastino at a time of 17:10, and Hamblin second last at 16:40.
These lovely ladies and amazing sportswomen showed it to the world that compassion and encouragement are the core principles of any true competition!
