Olympian Jared Connaughton is being lauded in a front-page article in this morning’s Globe and Mail as the man who stepped up and not as the man who stepped over the line.
Connaughton (in media photo on left) and this three Canadian teammates thought for a few brief seconds that they had won an Olympic Bronze Medal following their surprising third-place finish in the men’s 4 X 100-metre relay. So did all of Canada.
But it was not to be.
Officials said Connaughton had stepped on the lane lines during the exchange of the baton and he and the team were disqualified and hearts across Canada were broken.
But Connaughton from the first moment stood up in front of world-wide TV cameras and admitted his fault and apologized for creating such disappointment.
Now Connaughton is being held up as an example to younger runners as an example of great sportsmanship. So moved was one 10-year-old that Elijah Porter from Newfoundland sent Connaughton his own Tim Horton’s soccer medal as compensation.
Connaughton won’t be remembered as the man who stepped over the line but as the sportsman who stepped up to inspire Canadians and people around the world.
