Abbey D'Agostino Tore ACL In Memorable Olympic Race
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (CBS) -- Topsfield Olympic runner Abbey D'Agostino suffered season-ending knee injuries after tripping over a competitor during a qualifying round Tuesday and will not compete in Friday's Olympic Women's 5,000-meter final, according to USA Track & Field.
D'Agostino fell in a chain-reaction collision with New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin during the qualifying round Tuesday, and both runners ended up sprawled on the track. D'Agostino stopped to help Hamblin up--and Hamblin did the same after D'Agostino's knee gave out.
After colliding, @abbey_dags (#USA) & @NikkiHamblin (#NZL) show true #Olympic spirit. https://t.co/LJf9pvPIbV https://t.co/HTfixzxCVS
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 16, 2016
Watch: Olympic Runner From Topsfield, Competitor Help Each Other Up In Powerful Display Of Sportsmanship
Both women finished the race, but D'Agostino did so while visibly in pain. She was taken from the track in a wheelchair.
An MRI showed D'Agostino tore her right ACL and meniscus, and also strained her MCL, ending her run in Rio.
In a statement, D'Agostino said the best part of her Olympic experience has been the community created by the Games.
"Since the night of the opening ceremonies, I have been so touched by this--people from all corners of globe, embracing their unique cultures, yet all uniting under one celebration of the human body, mind, and spirit," D'Agostino wrote. "I just keep thinking about how that spirit of unity and peace is stronger than all the global strife we're bombarded with and saddened by on a daily basis."
Sioux City, Iowa runner Shelby Houlihan, who took fourth in the Tuesday qualifying race, will represent Team USA in the Friday final.