Credit: AP/The Daily Call, Mike Ullery
It takes a class act to help a fellow competitor during the heat of the competition, but that is exactly what Ohio high school track star Meghan Vogel did during her 3,000 meter race in the Ohio Division III state track and field championships. The West Liberty-Salem star was running in the back of the pack during the race towards the finish line when competitor Arden McMath of Arlington High School fell in front of her. Instead of running past the fallen runner, Vogel stopped, helped her rival up, and carried her to the finish line, while making sure that McMath finished ahead of her in the race.
Amazingly, this wasn’t the first time that Vogel helped up a competitor. Just one week earlier, after the 4×800 meter relay when her team finished third to qualify for the state meet, she noticed a girl had fallen after the race. She went over and helped that competitor up after needing to be helped by her own teammates.
This time, however, was different in that it was in the middle of competition. The packed crowd applauded and showed their appreciation for the sportsmanship that Ms. Vogel showed. As she stated after the event, “I think fate put me in last place for a reason…. I just did what I know was right and what I was supposed to do.”
For her poise and sportsmanship towards her fellow competitor, The Good In Sports would like to award Meghan Vogel of West Liberty-Salem High School in Ohio a Gold Star. Keep up the great work, Meghan!
By PDGACO GaballaLoans