New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin may not have made it to the podium in Rio De Janerio, but she will return home with a prestigious Olympic medal thanks to a now iconic moment of sportsmanship at the games.
Hamblin was awarded the International Fair Play Committee Award for helping U.S. competitor Abbey D’Agostino cross the finish line in the women’s 5000-metre semifinal after the pair were involved in a mid-race collision.
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Just four laps into the race, D’Agostino fell and clipped Hamblin who came tumbling down with her. D’Agostino helped Hamblin to her feet and urged her to keep running, before collapsing back onto the track. She would later learn she tore a ligament in her knee as a result of the fall.
Hamblin, however, didn’t leave her side. Instead she returned the favour, helping D’Agostino to her feet, and getting her started around the track again. Hamblin eventually left her side, but waited for her to cross the finish line and helped her to a wheelchair.
Hamblin’s helping hand, which was hailed as a true show of Olympic spirit, has become one of Rio’s standout moments.
“I think it’s very special for both Abbey and myself,” Hamblin said after accepting the award.
“I don’t think either of us woke up and thought that that was going to be our day, or our race, or our Olympic Games. Both of us are strong competitors and we wanted to go out there and do our best on the track.”
The Fair Play award was previously known as the Pierre de Coubertin medal – a rare and prestigious award that has only been handed out 17 times in Olympic history.
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The award is given to athletes who show exemplary acts of selflessness and sportsmanship.
The International Fair Play Committee (CIFP), which is supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), also recognized the Norwegian men’s handball team with the award, after the team allowed Germany to win the European Championship without protest when an extra player came onto the field during play. Germany went on to win bronze in the Olympics; however, the Norwegian team failed to qualify for the Games altogether.
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“This is an honour for the Norwegian Handball Federation and for the players,” said the president of the Norwegian Handball Federation, Kaare Geir Lio, in a press release. “It is also recognition for international handball, of how we want to play, and of how we want to be. We have fair play as a value and keyword in Norwegian handball in addition to respect, amongst others.”
Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux won the Pierre de Coubertin medal during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Lemieux deviated from the course during a qualifying race to rescue a team from Singapore whose boat had capsized.
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