Sister Love: Twin Carries Injured Sib Across The Finish Line

Last weekend, 13-year-old Claire Gruenke won her Southern Illinois State track meet, but not with her athletic prowess. The fearless teenager slowed down her own time running the 800 meter race because she carried her injured twin sister Chloe across the finish line.

Both girls were running in the event when Chloe suffered an injury in her leg. “I felt something pull and pop in my thigh and then around the second lap it hurt,” Chloe told Chicago’s WGNTV. “I fell to the ground.”

That’s when her sister Claire picked up her twin and ran the remaining 370 meters carrying Chloe piggyback-style across the finish line.

Her heroic choice may have lost Claire the race, but it led to the crowd giving the twins a standing ovation, and a proud moment for their parents. “We just watched breathlessly and luckily had glasses on because we all had tears in our eyes,” said Ted Crail, the twins’ father.

“It’s about showing compassion, love and sportsmanship, even if you lose and help somebody, it’s still worth it,” Claire explained.

Agreed. Someone get this girl a medal.

(Photos via KTVI and CNN/Little Chicks Pics)