Spanish Triathlete Allows Competitor to Beat Him at Last Minute

It’s undeniably good sportsmanship — a triathlon runner stopped running and let a competitor beat him —  but in the world of sports, is it too much?

British athlete James Teagle was oh-so-close to placing third in the 2020 Santander Triathlon in Spain. Thing is … about 100 yards before reaching the finish line, Teagle became confused and ran the wrong way, toward the cheering crowd.

Enter Spanish triathlete Diego Mentrida, who had been behind Teagle for much of the race.  Mentrida passed Teagle, but before reaching the finish line, he suddenly stopped and let Teagle — who regained his bearings — pass him to place third.

After the race, Mentrida said, “He deserved it. This is something my parents and my club taught me since I was a child. My view is it should be a normal thing to do.”

The winner of the race, Javier Gomez Noya, called Mentrida’s move “the best in history.”

The organizers of the race decided to give Mentrida an honorary third place and he ended up getting 3rd place price money — $355.