There is certainly no ‘I’ in ‘team’ and for one track athlete that meant sacrificing his own chance at victory to help out a partner.
At a cross country championship at Sugar House Park, Utah, on Wednesday, Riverton high school senior Shaun Rausch carried his teammate, Blake Lewis, to the finish line.
With just 200 meters left in their three mile race, Kewis broke his left tibia bone and immediately felt sharp pain, falling to the ground screaming in agony and unable to complete the race.
At a cross country championship in Utah, on Wednesday, Riverton high school senior Shaun Rausch carried teammate, Blake Lewis, to the finish line
With just 200 meters left in their three mile race, Kewis broke his left tibia bone and immediately felt sharp pain, falling to the ground screaming in agony
‘I thought he stepped on a branch,’ said mother, Brooke Lewis, to Fox 13.
‘I have never actually heard him scream like that before.’
The break was so loud that the boy’s mom even heard it from where she was cheering.
Rausch rushed to his aide, carrying him across the line but because he touched Lewis, the two were disqualified per state championship rules.
Rausch rushed to his aide, carrying him across the finish line
‘I put him on my shoulders and he was screaming the whole way, but I kept telling him, “We’re a family, we’re a team, and we’re all in this together,”‘ Rausch said.
And because Rausch is a senior, it was his last chance at competing at that particular level, something Lewis was highly appreciative of.
‘He picked me up and brought me to the finish line, and disqualified himself for something greater and definitely made my day,’ Lewis added.
‘As soon as I saw him, I gave him a big hug and told him he’s a hero to me.’
Because he touched Lewis, the two were disqualified per state championship rules
Doctors would tell the junior that he had a cyst on the bone that caused the break.
While Rausch doesn’t believe he is a hero, his teammate feels nothing but positive feelings towards the man who helped carry him to the finish.
He said: ‘I’ve run thousands of miles with this guy and, like, when someone picks you up you know that they love you, you know.’
Rausch will be competing in the Nike Cross regional meet in Arizona next month.