Hungarian badminton player Laura Sarosi saw her act of sportsmanship rewarded Sunday when she made it into the Rio Olympics.
Rewind to the European Championships three weeks ago and this story, via multiple reports:
Sarosi, now ranked No. 70 in the world, was playing Germany’s Karin Schnaase, who is now ranked No. 26.
In the first set, one of Schnaase’s shoes came apart. She was not allowed to leave the court to find a new shoe without being disqualified.
Unlike Schnaase, Sarosi did have an extra pair of shoes in her courtside bag, the same size as Schnaase, and graciously offered a replacement to her opponent.
Schnaase went on to win the match and keep Sarosi from crucial Olympic qualifying points.
As a result, Sarosi did not automatically qualify for the Rio Games, becoming the second alternate. Schnaase was already in via her higher world ranking.
A petition was started, but in the end it wasn’t necessary. Sarosi earned a spot in Rio on Sunday, when the World Badminton Federation announced reallocations of Olympic spots based on players doubling up in events.
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