Valentina Meredova of Turkmenistan showed true Olympic spirit during the first round of the women's 100m sprint at the Paris Olympics. Despite successfully advancing to the next stage of the competition, the 39-year-old athlete returned to the track to help her injured opponent from South Sudan.
The incident occurred on August 2 when Lucia Maurice from South Sudan fell approximately 70 meters into the race. Meredova, who finished fourth in the race, along with Silina Pha Apkhai from Laos, who finished sixth, immediately returned to help the injured athlete. They stayed with Maurice until medical personnel arrived and she was evacuated on a stretcher.
Valentina Meredova, who will turn 40 in September, is one of the most experienced participants at the Paris Olympics. During her 27 years in athletics, she set Turkmenistan records in the indoor 60 meters (7,44 seconds) and the 100 meters (11,56 seconds). Meredova has participated in numerous international competitions, including the World, Asian and Asian Games.
At the Paris Olympics, Meredova started in the preliminary round, where she finished in 12,01 seconds, placing 16th overall and qualifying for the main round. In the main round, she improved her time to 11,95 seconds, which was her best performance this season. However, this was not enough to reach the semi-finals.
Despite the fact that Valentina was unable to make it to the finals of the competition, her performance at the Olympics deserves respect. Especially considering that she is the only athlete on the Turkmen team who previously competed at the Olympic Games (in 2008 in Beijing).
This noble act of Meredova attracted the attention of the American sports magazine Sports Illustrated, which noted it as a shining example of the sports spirit at the Olympics. Her actions demonstrate that mutual aid and compassion trump athletic achievement.