"Van de Velde was racing in front as the runners approached the water pit to start the third of a 7½-lap race that asks the runners to vault five 3-foot-high barriers placed around the track, one of which fronts the 2-foot-deep water obstacle. He clipped the barrier and fell in, and by the time he got up, his hopes were crushed. He raced the rest of the way just to say he finished."
"That show of sportsmanship Saturday between the 10th- and 11th-place finishers in an otherwise routine qualifying race might have been the highlight of a busy opening night at track and field world championships, even on a day when five gold medals were handed out. "I saw him stumbling and thought, 'Why not?'" Van de Velde said. "We both had bad luck, I guess. Maybe we can share some bad luck together.""
"Van de Velde is no stranger to these sort of slipups. The 25-year-old, a gold medalist at the 2016 European Youth Championships, broke his collarbone after a fall at European Championships last year. At worlds in Eugene, Oregon, in 2022, he fell into the water and injured his ankle. "I know what it's like to feel helpless on the track," he said."
Tim Van de Velde noticed Carlos San Martin crawling over the final barrier in a 3,000-meter steeplechase qualifier and put an arm around him to help him limp to the finish. The incident occurred as runners approached the water pit during the third of a 7½-lap race featuring five 3-foot barriers and a 2-foot-deep water obstacle. Van de Velde clipped a barrier, fell into the water and lost his chance at the final, having suffered prior falls and injuries. San Martin required a wheelchair to leave the track. The gesture occurred between 10th- and 11th-place finishers amid an opening night with five gold medals awarded.
Read at ESPN.com
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