American runner pipped on the line as teammate-ship goes out the window

American runner Molly Huddle was just metres from claiming the bronze medal during the 10,000 metre final at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, then she made the ultimate mistake.

As Huddle approached the finish line she decided to start her celebration early, allowing the runner in fourth position to throw in a last-gasp lunge and snatch the bronze.

The runner that made it onto the podium was Emily Infeld. Good for her. Bravo for digging deep.

What makes the situation interesting (and a little awkward) is the fact that Infeld was also a fellow American teammate of Huddle.

Molly Huddle can’t believe that a certain third-place finish slipped through her fingers:

Speaking after the race, Infield said, “I had no idea I got it. I’m so, so thrilled. I saw Molly letting up. She didn’t know how close I was.

“I was trying to give it everything I had right to the line. I feel a little guilty because Molly lost out. I hate to beat her in those circumstances.

“It stinks, because she’s worked so hard. I’ve worked hard too, though.”

Huddle was clearly devastated by the result.

“I blew it in the last steps. I don’t know when that chance will come again,” Huddle said.

“The Olympics are usually really fast from the gun. I’m old, so I’m probably not going to get another one of those.

“It’s frustrating. This will take a lot of time to get over.”

Molly Huddle is clearly frustrated by her fourth place finish:

Huddle makes a good point regarding her age – at 30, she’s past her best and has a very limited window to taste medal success before she hangs up the cleats. Infield on the other hand is just 25, with plenty of years to build upon her (now) impressive medal collection.

What makes the situation interesting is that it could have played out in two ways: exactly how it did with Infield making the final lunge to snatch a medal from her teammate’s grasp, or with Infield recognising that the race may have been the elder Huddle’s last chance to claim a World Championship medal, she could have pulled up and run in fourth.

Such an act would have been an incredible act of sportsmanship, but realistically one would have also gone unrecognised. After all, how could Infield ever openly claim she pulled up short to let a teammate win?

Perhaps it is unfair to even suggest that any athlete should consider such things in the heat of competition – they train to win.

But herein lies the kicker of the story – Huddle and Infield are teammates, and different expectations apply as a result, even though it is an individual sport.

If the runner in fourth was from any other country, we wouldn’t be having this conversation – they could have snuck in for bronze completely guilt-free.

But she wasn’t, and so we can discuss.

Now the medal count for the United States has incremented as it would have had either of them won, but from Huddle’s post-race words, and reading between the lines on Infield’s interview, we can safely assume the result has left a sour taste in both runners’ mouths.

Then for the rest of us, it’s posed a difficult question about what should be valued most: teammate-ship or personal glory?

For the record, the medal represented the best result either runners would have achieved in their careers to date.