Runner who helped hurts knee and won’t return at Olympics

American runner Abby D’Agostino helped create one of the great moments of the Rio Olympics on Tuesday when she helped a fallen New Zealand runner get back to her feet in the 5,000-meter preliminary heat.

American Abbey D’Agnostino and Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand were 3,000m into the race today when D’Agnostino appeared to clip Hamblin’s heel, sending both tumbling to the ground.

You haven’t had to look far this Games for displays of kindness and camaraderie that embody the Olympic spirit.

Nikki Hamblin helps Abbey D’Agostino after the two fell during the 5000m heat. “That girl was the Olympic spirit right there”. I tried to help her. As the two girls continued the race, Abbey realized that her ankle wasn’t in good shape and had to stop before finishing – and this time, it was Nikki encouraging Abbey to power through.

“Isn’t that just so incredible?”

D’Agostino was led away in a wheelchair on Tuesday, however, and it is not known if she will be fit to compete.

She ran nearly a mile on these injuries!

The two runners toppled over one another when Hamblin stumbled in front of D’Agostino, and in addition to the minor gashes and contusions, it was reported that D’Agostino may have dislocated her knee. “That’s an awesome moment”.

During the race, D’Agostino had clipped Hamblin from behind, which resulted in both of them going down sprawling with about 2,000 metres more to go. “The rest of your life, it’s going to be that girl shaking my shoulder like, ‘Come on, get up'”.

“I went down, and I was like, ‘What’s happening?”. D’Agostino urged her to get up, telling her that this was the Olympics and they had to finish. Obviously, she did pretty much the opposite of that, and the world got to see the kind of person she is. Hamblin was right there with her.

“I’ve never met this girl before, and isn’t that just so wonderful, such an incredible woman”, Hamblin told United Kingdom paper The Telegraph. “When someone asks me in 20 years time what happened in Rio, that’s my story”. Both regained their footing before D’Agostino again went to ground. A statement from USA Track and Field (USATF) said D’Agostino had suffered tears to her right anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus and strained ligaments, ending her season.