Defining the Olympic spirit

The Rio Olympics will be remembered for some of the wrong reasons. Zika fears. Russian doping. Polluted water. Street crime. Fake stories of street crime.

Beyond U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte’s boorish behavior, there were several examples of poor sportsmanship: Egypt’s Islam El Shehaby refusing to shake hands with Israel’s Or Sasson; U.S. women’s soccer goalie Hope Solo calling the Swedish team “a bunch of cowards”; Brazilian fans booing silver medal-winning French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie.

But there were also many heartwarming moments that deserve to be lasting memories, one of which stands out above all: a simple act of kindness.

That’s what U.S. runner Abbey D’Agostino called her spur-ofthe-moment decision to help her opponent from New Zealand, Nikki Hamblin, after a brutal collision in an opening-round heat of the women’s 5,000 meters. It was, D’Agostino said, “literally like the spirit of God in me.”

D’Agostino was first on her feet but had far more serious knee injuries. After helping Hamblin get up, D’Agostino collapsed again — and this time, Hamblin came to her rescue. Both limped through the rest of the race.

D’Agostino and Hamblin, strangers before their on-track encounter, define the Olympic spirit. Their embrace symbolized sportsmanship at its finest.