FORMER Dorchester Athletics club member Nikki Hamblin showed her bravery to get back on track and compete in the women’s 5,000-metre final at the Rio Olympic Games.
The former Wey Valley School student, who represents New Zealand, shook off any injury concerns after a dramatic fall in the event on Tuesday.
She finish 17th in the finale, recording a season’s best time of 16 minutes 14.24 seconds in the process.
Gold went to Kenya’s Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot, who set an Olympic record of 14:26.17 to overcome national team-mate, second-placed Hellen Onsando Obiri (14:29.77), and upset favourite Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia in third (14:33.59).
Hamblin, who ran through the pain barrier while competing earlier in the week, was advanced into the climax of the competition after what was arguably one of the most heart-warming moments of the Games in her 5,000m heat.
After taking an agonising tumble with American athlete Abbey D’Agostino, the 28-year-old turned back to help the competitor to her feet and both eventually finished the race.
They embraced on the finish line before the American was helped away in a wheelchair with what turned out to be a torn right anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus and a strained medial collateral ligament.
Colin Hamblin, Nikki’s father, told the Echo that he was “enormously proud” of his daughter for her actions.
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