An American runner has been praised as a true Olympian after stopping mid-race to help a fallen rival.
Abbey D’Agostino helped New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin who was lying dazed on the track after the two entangled and fell in the 5,000m heats in Rio.
“Get up. We have to finish this,” D’Agostino told her.
It was then Hamblin’s turn to help D’Agostino, hanging back to encourage the injured American, who hobbled over the line in last place.
They embraced before D’Agostino left in a wheelchair with a hurt ankle.
Neither qualified for Friday’s final but the Olympic orgnaisers then re-instated both runners to run in the final if they recover.
