Eugenio Monti to the rescue!
Monti was known as one of the most successful bobsledders in the history of the sport. The Italian won a slew of national and international titles at skiing before his Olympic glories at bobsleigh, however.
A prolific skiier, Monti tore ligaments in both knees, which put paid to his skiing career; that was when he made the transition to bobsledding.
He won two silvers at the 1956 Olympics in Italy in the bobsleigh,but his true moment of glory came in 1964.
Monti had been in position to take yet another silver medal in the two-man bobsleigh event, when he saw British bobsledders Tony Nash and Robin Dixon struggling with their sled. As it turned out, the two Britons were missing a bolt on the sled. That prompted Monti to give them a bolt off his own so they could compete.
Dixon and Nash would take silver, with Monti and his teammate taking the bronze medal.
That was not the only act of sportsmanship Monti showed in those Olympic Games. In the four-man bobsleigh discipline, Monti saw the Canadian team lose their axle.
Selflessly volunteering to help with his team of mechanics, Monti’s assistance meant the Canadian team would take gold; he and the Italian side took an eventual bronze.
His deeds did not go unrewarded – Monti received the first ever Pierre de Coubertin Medal, named for the French founder of the Modern Olympic Games, for sportsmanship.
