It may be simply a symbolic gesture, but it is one that resonates with the true meaning of sport.
Lelisa Desisa, the winner of the 2013 Boston Marathon, returned his winner’s medal to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino on Sunday to honor the city and those who were killed and injured in the April 15 bombings at the finish line of this year’s event, according to The Associated Press.
Desisa attended a 10K race Sunday held by the Boston Athletic Association, the nonprofit that puts on the annual marathon.
“Sport holds the power to unify and connect people all over the world,” Desisa said through a translator. “Sport should never be used as a battleground.”
More than 6,400 athletes gathered on Boston Common for the 10K, which sold out all available registration spots within 13 hours. Race participants and spectators took part in a moment of silence that paid tribute to the three victims killed in the bombings and to Sean Collier, the MIT police officer who was shot and killed April 18 in a search for the suspects.
Photo via Twitter/@BostonTweet
