Aussie athlete praised for gorgeous act of excellent sportsmanship after surprising mistake in race
Half-marathon runner wins reward for unimaginable act of excellent sportsmanship after he handed his winner’s medal to a rival due to a surprising mistake
- Dane Verwey competed in huge Mornington race
- Completed first however there was drama afterwards
- Has been hailed for gorgeous gesture
Victorian athlete Dane Verwey has unselfishly handed over his profitable medal and prizemoney to a fellow runner after a surprising mistake by officers in a half marathon held in Victoria final weekend.
His big-hearted gesture adopted a weird mistake by race officers late within the grueling 21km occasion, when the bike owner who was exhibiting rivals the proper manner alongside the course took the chief of the race down the mistaken path, paving the best way for Verwey to swoop into first place late within the piece.
‘I used to be behind him – I would say 50 metres behind, really – and he was doing the proper factor following the lead bike in the course of the race,’ Verwey defined to radio 3AW.
‘The bike leads us all through exhibiting us the proper paths to go down.
Unselfish athlete Dane Verwey (within the lead) gained the Mornington half marathon however donated his winnings and medal to an unplaced runner when a surprising blunder got here to mild
‘The bike took him down the mistaken one late within the race and when it was found, he ended up working about 800 metres additional than the remainder of us.’
Verwey, 37, went on to win the Half Marathon occasion on the Mornington Working Competition in a very good time of 1:11.01.
However, as satisfied as he was along with his stable efficiency, the favored Victorian physiotherapist couldn’t in good conscience maintain the winner’s spoils, so he sought out the runner who ought to have come first.
‘I informed him, ‘To not fear, mate, I noticed the bike take you the mistaken manner. And after doing the maths and calculating how a lot time you misplaced due to the error, it was clear to me that you’d have held on and gained had this not occurred,’ he mentioned.
Verwey gave up his $500 first-place prize and the winner’s medal when the officers’ huge mistake robbed his rival of first place
These profitable spoils Verwey handed over included a cheque for $500 and the victor’s medal.
It isn’t the primary time Verwey’s working profession has launched him right into a memorable second.
He laced up his sneakers and competed within the 2022 Berlin Marathon hoping for an enormous private finest run and never understanding on the time that the race would turned the best marathon in historical past.
‘This was the race Eliud Kipchoge broke the world document working an unbelievable 2:01:09. I nonetheless had six kilometres to run when he crossed the road,’ he recalled.
Subsequent cease for the Victorian physio would be the Brisbane Marathon in a couple of weeks.
He boasts a finest of two:20 for the space and is hoping to higher that in Brisbane.
If karma performs a job, he deserves it.
