A Spanish athlete is being viral on social media after he sacrificed a top tier win in the 2020 Santander Triathlon to give it to a competitor who took a wrong turn on the course. British athlete James Teagle was on course to win third place in the competition in Spain last weekend when he made a mistake meters from the finish. Diego Méntrida overtook him but noticed the error and stopped to allow Teagle to cross first. The race took place on 13 September but footage from the race has spread on social media in the past day, as many congratulate 21-year-old Méntrida for his show of sportsmanship.
Méntrida was awarded honorary third place by the organizers and the same €300 (£274) prize money as Teagle, according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo. Teagle’s wrong turn happened less than 100m from the end of the race when he mistakenly ran towards spectators in a fenced area. He didn’t notice the signs or they were misaligned. Méntrida had been behind Teagle and overtook him to continue on the final stretch – but then slowed his pace to allow his competitor to catch up.
El triatleta madrileño Diego Méntrida dejó pasar a su rival cuando éste se equivocó de camino antes de la meta. Peleaban por el tercer puesto en el Triatlón de Santander, que ganó Gómez Noya https://t.co/ZCgxlZQIeL pic.twitter.com/b83zwDTAVX
— EL MUNDO Deportes (@ElMundoDeportes) September 17, 2020
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