Luke Hudson, a sophomore at Providence Christian Academy, received a special medal for good sportsmanship after stopping his own cross country race to help a competitor in need.
It happened on Saturday during the Wesleyan Invitational at the Wesleyan School in Norcross.
Roswell High School's Jacob Brunner began to struggle about 100 yards from the finish as he battled "some sort of bug," according to Coach David Evans.
Luke saw Jacob collapse from exhaustion and decided to stop and help him finish the race.
"This is the type of person that Luke is," said Coach Chris Stephens. "It was a moment where I wasn't coaching Luke. He was coaching me and everyone else about the importance of your fellow man. Luke chose to sacrifice himself and his placing, doing exactly what God called him to do."
Luke was declared "Champion of Character" for the meet.
After taking some time to recover once the race was over, Jacob tracked down Luke to hug him and thank him for his help.
"It was one of the most poignant examples of sportsmanship, selflessness, and humanity I've ever seen," added Travis Reid, whose son was competing for Dunwoody High School.
"Everyone there was so moved by this young man and his selfless actions," said Lisa Bregitzer, another parent. who saw what happened.
