As a kid, I was always inspired by the 1999 U.S. women's national team's defeat of China in the soccer World Cup. Although I wasn't old enough to watch the game live, I experienced the resulting surge in the team's popularity and success. I can't really remember a time when the U.S. women were not vying for a gold medal in a major tournament, so it came as a shock when Sweden's Lisa Dahlkvist successfully converted her penalty kick to knock them out of the Olympics in the quarterfinal round.
Although I was saddened to see the heartbroken faces of the teams' star players, it was even more of a let-down to hear about keeper Hope Solo's inflammatory comments after the game. Obviously frustrated by the outcome, she called the Swedish team "a bunch of cowards", referring to their defensive style of play. As a fan, I was disappointed that she chose to respond to her heartbreak by criticizing her opponents and devaluing their accomplishments. Her comments were embarrassing and shed a negative light not only on the U.S. women's national team, but the entire country, painting us as sore losers.
Enter the heroine of this article: American distance runner Abbey D'Agostino, a native of Topsfield, Massachusetts, Dartmouth grad, and New Balance athlete. With a little over four laps to run in her semifinal heat of the women's 5k, Abbey tangled with New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin, and both runners fell to the track, hard. D'Agostino was the first to her feet, and it was heartwarming to see the interaction between the two athletes, who had not previously known each other. Hamblin recalls feeling a hand on her shoulder and hearing Abbey's voice in her ear, saying, "Get up, we have to finish this." Hamblin then waited as D'Agostino's knee appeared to give out and she fell to the track for the second time. After Abbey urged her to continue, both runners eventually finished the race, more than a minute behind the rest of the field.
The next day, I was heartbroken to learn that D'Agostino had torn her ACL. With this knowledge in mind, no one would have faulted her for simply crawling off the track in tears. Instead, she got up and continued to run an entire mile, eventually crossing the finish line with a smile on her face. To me, it didn't appear to be a grimacing sort of smile, but rather a smile of joy. Immediately afterwards, D'Agostino looked around to find Hamblin, who had waited for her, and the two embraced while Hamblin called for help for her fellow runner.
I can't even begin to imagine the pain that both women were feeling when they realized that their Olympic dreams were not going to unfold according to plan. No one pictures falling that hard as they are preparing for one of the biggest races of their lives, but D'Agostino and Hamblin handled their heartbreak beautifully and turned it into an inspiring showcase of sportsmanship. The word that stands out to me in their interaction is "we." It was not "I have to finish this, this is my dream"; but "we have to finish this." The two runners' immediate concern for one another and the happiness that was on display as Abbey crossed the finish line has linked them together in a moment that transcends athletics.
When faced with pain and defeat, we can choose to respond in many ways. We can blame other people, turn our frustration into anger, or cry and look for sympathy. Or we can be like Abbey D'Agostino and Nikki Hamblin, and respond with grace and strength.
