An Olympic sprinter fell during a race. The first person to help was her opponent

By Juliana Kim

Published August 2, 2024 at 2:00 PM EDT

Laotian sprinter Silina Pha Aphay was the first to approach South Sudanese athlete Lucia Moris after Moris fell at the Paris Olympics on Friday.

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Lucia Moris of South Sudan toppled to the ground in agony during a preliminary heat of the women's 100-meter race at the Paris Olympics on Friday.

But before medics arrived, someone else rushed to her side: fellow competitor Silina Pha Aphay of Laos.

Moris, in Lane 1, was keeping pace after bolting from the starting blocks. But halfway through the race, she began to slow down and look unsteady, before crumpling to the ground. The fall occurred in front of Pha Aphay, who was in Lane 2.

The South Sudanese athlete laid on the purple track, unable to get back up. Even after the race ended, Moris, 23, remained on the ground alone, shrieking in pain and clutching her right thigh.

Lucia Moris, of South Sudan, fell halfway through a preliminary heat for the women's 100-meter run at the Paris Olympics on Friday.

That's when Pha Aphay, 28, ran back toward Moris. The Laotian had just finished sixth, which was not high enough to advance to the next stage. And so, her time at the Olympics was over.

But in that moment, Pha Aphay's first action was to go to the distressed Moris.

Standing beside Moris, Pha Aphay called out for help. Once medics arrived, Pha Aphay continued to stay on the track, holding Moris' sneakers while medics prepared to put Moris on a stretcher. Another competitor, Salam Bouha Ahamdy of Mauritania, later also appeared to support Moris.

"All 100 meters athletes have to know how being hurt feels. And this is a big competition. It’s a big dream to come here. But you get hurt here. So everybody knows the feeling," Pha Aphay later told the Washington Post.

Pha Aphay added that she encouraged Moris to cry out if she wanted to.

The preliminary heat offered sprinters who were not in the first round of the 100-meter another chance to advance to the event. Natacha Ngoye Akamabi of Congo finished first, and Alessandra Gasparelli of San Marino and Xenia Hiebert of Paraguay came second and third.