‘I guess that’s how my parents raised me.’
High school runner Ben Boardley did not realize his sportsmanship could have resulted in disqualification. Not that it would have mattered.
Written content by David Woods via Indianapolis Star via USA Today
In Saturday’s Indiana state cross-country meet at Terre Haute, the Penn High School runner saw Brebeuf Jesuit’s Faizan Khan fall as both approached the finish. Boardley stopped to help, pulling on Khan’s left arm to raise him to his feet, before both continued running.
“I just kind of saw it and did it,” Boardley said Monday. “I guess that’s how my parents raised me. They taught me to treat others how I’d want to be treated, and to be helpful when I can.”
The moment was captured on video and posted on Twitter. Some of Boardley’s friends saw the incident on a livestream and immediately texted. Others told him it was “pretty cool,” he said.
Khan connected with Boardley via Instagram on Sunday to thank him.
By rule, a runner can be disqualified for assisting another. But an Indiana High School Athletic Association official reviewed the incident and decided no violation occurred.
According to the IHSAA, the official applied NFHS Rule 4-6-5:
“A competitor who provides assistance to an injured or ill competitor should not be disqualified if neither the individual competitor providing the assistance nor his/her team gains an advantage as a result of providing the assistance.”
Out of 207 finishers, Boardley was 189th. Khan was 193rd, or eight seconds behind the Penn runner. Neither was in his team’s scoring five, so a DQ would have been irrelevant.
Neither runner wanted to be that far back in the race. Khan said he has been affected by seasonal allergies. Boardley said he, too, wasn’t in the best place but wanted to help the other runner. Read more from USA Today.
Here’s a video, not new but interesting, of another example of good sportsmanship:
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