Abbey D’Agostino ’14 made national headlines this past Tuesday after tripping over fallen New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin in the preliminary round of the women’s 5,000-meter race and helping her back up. D’Agostino and Hamblin finished the race and were advanced to the final by default, but D’Agostino was forced to withdraw from competition with a torn ACL and meniscus. D’Agostino finished the last mile of the race despite her injuries.
“This whole time here [God’s] made clear to me that my experience in Rio was going to be about more than my race performance — and as soon as Nikki got up I knew that was it,” D’Agostino said in a statement released Wednesday by USA Track and Field.
D’Agostino’s gesture and determination earned her the praise of the general public, with many calling the moment one of the most memorable of the Rio Games.
At Dartmouth, D’Agostino became the most decorated athlete in Ivy League history, winning several NCAA titles.
Other Dartmouth Olympians wrapped up competition this past week.
Anthony Fahden ’08 and the United States lightweight fours finished in fourth place in the B final last Thursday with a time of 6 minutes, 36.93 seconds.
Madison Hughes ’15 and the U.S. men’s rugby team defeated Spain 24-12 last Thursday to claim the ninth place title.
Alexi Pappas ’12 came in 17th in the final of the women’s 10,000-meter race last Friday. Pappas, who was competing for Greece, finished in 31:36.16, setting a national record.
Last Friday, Josh Konieczny ’13 and rowing partner Andrew Campbell, Jr. finished in fifth place in the finals of the men’s lightweight double sculls. The duo finished in 6:35.07, less than four seconds off the bronze medal time and less than five seconds behind the French, who took home gold.
On Wednesday, Sean Furey ’04, TH ’05 and ’06 finished 35th in the qualifying round of the javelin throw on Wednesday with a throw of 72.61 meters. Furey did not qualify for the final on Saturday.
Earlier in the Olympics, cyclist Evelyn Stevens ’05 placed 12th in the women’s road race on Sunday, Aug. 7, finishing the 85-mile competition in 3:52:43. Stevens also competed in the women’s individual time trial last Wednesday, coming in 10th place with a time of 46:00.08.
The last Dartmouth alumni to earn a summer Olympics medal was Dominic Seiterle ’98, who won gold in the 2008 Beijing Games with the Canadian men’s eights rowing team.
