Hurdler helps opponent finish race following fall near finish line
MONTVILLE, CT (WFSB) - It was a moment of sportsmanship that went viral.
Montville High School hurdler Adam Sheridan took a spill just shy of the finish line during a track and field meet on April 5.
Instead of finishing the 300 meter hurdles race before him, Griswold High School’s Jonathon Mihailides helped Adam Sheridan up and insisted he cross the finish line first.
Adam Sheridan’s mother, Beth Sheridan, captured the moment on camera and posted it to social media.
She called it one of the most beautiful moments she’d ever seen in sports.
“It was just the two of them, and though they were close the whole time, Adam had the lead throughout the race,” Beth Sheridan explained. “He tripped a bit on the very last hurdle, though, and couldn’t regain his balance. Adam went flying to the ground just shy of the finish line.”
Mihailides saw Adam fall.
“He stopped himself, reached out his hand to help Adam up, and then insisted that Adam cross the finish line first,” Beth Sheridan said.
She said Mihailides did not hesitate. He just acted.
“What an incredible demonstration of sportsmanship, selflessness, and class,” she said.
Beth Sheridan said she reached out to the Griswold High School administration about it.
Principal Erin Palonen explained to her that this is exactly who Mihailides is every day.
“It meant more to me than the race,” Mihailides was said to have told Palonen.
“May our world see more moments like this one and more people like Jonathan,” Beth Sheridan said.
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