This is the moment a triathlete leading a race stops on the finish line and waits so his rival can overtake him after the other man accidentally did an extra lap on the cycling that would normally have cost him the win.
The generous action took place at a competition in Cascavel, in the Brazilian state of Parana, on Sunday, 15th February, during the ‘Veneno da Cobra Sprint Triathlon’.
Video of the finish, which has amassed millions of views on social media, shows Francisco Luiz Viana Neto slowing down just before the line and standing aside as Gustavo Wiebbeling runs past to take first place.
Francisco, a firefighter and amateur triathlete of 19 years, had taken the lead after noticing that Gustavo, who had been in first place, completed an extra lap during the cycling stage.
Triathlon combines swimming, cycling and running, with distances varying depending on the format. The sprint event in Cascavel followed a shorter course than long-distance races such as the Ironman.
Francisco said he had been carefully counting laps because confusion can occur during races.
He said: “I already predicted there might be some confusion. It always happens that someone does one lap too many or one lap too few.”
According to Francisco, he realised Gustavo had completed an extra lap on the bike section.
He said: “I was counting the laps very carefully. When I saw that Gustavo had done an extra lap in the cycling, I thought: ‘He’s done one lap too many.’ I kept going and eased my pace a bit.”
Gustavo, a professional athlete for three years, later said he cycled around two kilometres (1.2 miles) more than required after the lap-counting system on his watch malfunctioned.
He only realised something was wrong when he saw Francisco, who had been more than a minute behind, finishing alongside him.
Although Gustavo attempted to make up the lost time, he was unable to regain the lead before the finish.
At the line, Francisco made the decision to allow him through.
Gustavo said: “Above all, respect and character. Sport shapes that in us. And that is very strong.”
Francisco said the decision was instant. He stated that Gustavo performs better in shorter competitions like the one they were contesting and would likely have won regardless.
Francisco added: “I said: ‘I will leave this victory to him, because it is deserved.’ He would beat me in this race anyway.”
The winner received a prize of BRL 500 (GBP 71), while the second place was awarded BRL 400 (GBP 57).
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub-Editor: Simona Kitanovska, Agency: Newsflash
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