The sporting Spanish cyclist who refused to overtake his rival.

Lying in third place, Ismael Esteban was less than a kilometer from the finishing line of the Santa Bárbara cyclo-cross race in Cantabria, northern Spain, when his bike, which had been giving him trouble throughout the grueling competition, suffered a puncture.

Determined to complete the race, Esteban slung the bike over his shoulder and began running. With just 300 meters to go, his rival Agustín Navarro caught him up. But instead of overtaking, Navarro slowed down and, to applause from spectators, allowed Esteban to continue and finish ahead of him. Video footage of his sportsmanlike gesture was shared by more than 3,000 people in the first 48 hours after the race, which was held on December 8 in Puente Viesgo.

“Great sportsmanlike gesture by Asturian cyclist Agustin Navarro Vidal in the Puente Viesgo race,” wrote local sports publication Deporte Astur in its Facebook post. “Agustin Navarro came across Ismael Esteban in the last 100 meters. After sitting comfortably in third place, Ismael ended the race suffering a puncture. With just a short way to go to the finishing line, he took to his feet and with a 100 meters to go Agustín found him and didn’t want to overtake, allowing him to place third carrying the broken bicycle on his back. After finishing, Ismael offered him his prize, which the Asturian rejected. These guys are a cut above the rest!”

Published by El Pais in ENGlISH. REMEMBER, A GREAT WAY TO BE UPDATED AND LEARN ENGLISH.