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Finnish cross-country skier wins gold, watches rest of race and waits to embrace last-place finisher

Finland's Iivo Niskanen displayed the ultimate act of sportsmanship at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Niskanen won a gold medal, his third, in the men's cross-country skiing 15km classic on Friday. The exhausted skier collapsed across the finish line with a time of 37:54.80, but instead of going off to celebrate or recover, he patiently waited for every one of the 94 competitors behind him to complete the race.

Russia's Alexander Bolshunov secured silver 23.2 seconds later and Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo earned bronze after finishing 37.5 seconds behind Niskanen.

Colombia’s Carlos Andres Quintana crossed the finish line last, nearly 20 minutes behind Niskanen and received a warm embrace from the Olympic gold medalist.