Two Olympic Runners Crashed Together, Then Willed Each Other To Finish

When Abbey D’Agostino of Team USA and New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin tumbled to the ground during Round 1 of the women’s 5,000-meter race on Tuesday, they quickly decided there was only one thing they could do.

“Get up, get up! We have to finish!” D’Agostino told her competitor, according to ESPN. “This is the Olympic Games. We have to finish this.”

In a moment of true Olympic spirit, they did exactly that.

D’Agostino, who had an injured knee, fell behind Hamblin as they ran toward the finish line together. But when Hamblin turned back to the hurting American, D’Agostino told her to keep going.

D’Agostino eventually finished the race, albeit in last place with a time of 17:10. Hamblin came in second to last, at 16:43. The two runners embraced at the finish line.

Hamblin later helped D’Agostino into a wheelchair. There is some good news, though: Both runners qualified for the 5,000-meter final because they were tripped.

For more Olympics coverage:

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• Welcome To Rio: Where The Marvelous City Only Exists On Postcards
• Will The 2016 Olympics Deliver On The Promise To Leave A Lasting Legacy For Rio?