When Athlete Saw Leading Opponent Slowed Down Before Crossing The Finish Line, He Knew Something Was Wrong So He Helped Him Win The Race

• Ivan Fernandez Anaya was about to finish the race when he saw the opponent on the lead slowed down.
• He realized Abel Mutai can’t read Spanish and was confused about what the signs meant.
• So Ivan slowed down and pointed Abel to the real finish line so that he could win the race. 

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In moments of great pressure to make a quick decision, that’s when our true selves come out naturally.

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A post shared by Ivan Fernandez Anaya (@ivanfernandezan) on Jun 17, 2020 at 8:40am PDT

Ivan Fernandez Anaya experienced that same moment and he stunned the world with his great personality. It was on a race track in Navarra, Spain, where Ivan, who is a long-distance runner, competed. 

He is from Spain and he has been participating in marathon races and cross country. During the Navarra race, he was about to get into the finish line when he noticed that a Kenyan athlete named Abel Mutai, who was on the lead, slowed down. 

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A post shared by Ivan Fernandez Anaya (@ivanfernandezan) on Jun 25, 2020 at 2:38am PDT

Abel can’t speak nor read Spanish so he was confused what the signs meant. Ivan quickly realized what happened to Abel, but instead of taking advantage of Abel’s confusion to win the race for himself, he slowed down his pace and signaled Abel to get into the real finish line and win the race. 

“He was the rightful winner,” Ivan answered when asked about why he did just that and not take the chance to win for himself. “He created a gap that I couldn’t have closed if he hadn’t made a mistake. As soon as I saw he was stopping, I knew I wasn’t going to pass him.”

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A post shared by Ivan Fernandez Anaya (@ivanfernandezan) on Jun 22, 2020 at 12:43am PDT

Everyone on the bleachers watching that moment were amazed at what Ivan had shown! He proved what being a good sport truly is, and that is doing what is right and fair — and that’s what sports has been meaning to achieve all this time, that it may amplify the goodness in people. 

“My dream is that someday we can have a kind of community life,” Ivan said in an interview.

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A post shared by Ivan Fernandez Anaya (@ivanfernandezan) on Jul 14, 2020 at 12:44pm PDT

For him, there is no meaning to winning that way. Although he was only seconds away, he asked: “What would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honor of that medal? What would my Mom think of that?”

Ivan is every mother’s wish how their sons would be — lives with honor and full of kindness. 

Source: Inspire More