The mum of a runner barged out of the way by reality star Tommy Fury during the Great North Run has insisted her son is the ‘real hero’.
Fury, 26, was caught on social media shoving aside plumber Diarmaid Warner, 38, as he dashed towards the finish line in the half marathon held on Sunday from Newcastle to South Shields.
Diarmaid was raising money for Muscular Dystrophy UK when Fury ran past shoved him out of the way so he could get a clear run in and be caught by photographers at the finish line.
Posting on social media plumber Diarmuid’s furious mum Elaine said: ’Diarmaid Warner is the real hero and finished ahead of Tommy Fury by 12 minutes. Our champion.’
The incident caused uproar on social media and even the charity Diarmaid was running for, called him out and said: ‘Barged by Tommy Fury but not defeated.
Plumber Diarmaid Warner (left) has spoken out and insisted that Fury’s actions were out of line
Warner’s mother says her son beat Fury’s half-marathon time by 12 minutes on Sunday
Video clips showed the 26-year-old weaving through crowds before seemingly pushing a man aside on the final bend
‘Massive shout out to our runner for keeping cool under pressure and pushes. You’re the real champ.’
Diarmaid, from Dumbarton, Scotland, later told The Sun he was rounding the final corner when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he was then shoved to one side.
He added: ‘As you get to the end you think the finish line is straight in front of you.
‘It’s the only at the last few meters you realise you’ve got one more right turn to make.
‘It was as I was going around it that I felt this hand on my shoulder which pushed me to the side for him to run through.
‘I was a bit upset and thought that’s not on – it’s not really race etiquette.’
The father of two from Dumbarton later recognised the man who had barged past him telling his wife: ‘You’ll never guess what – Tommy Fury’s pushed me out of the way.’
Fury is famous for his sprint finishes and he went viral for nearly taking someone out at the end of a 10k in January
The video surfaced a day after Fury had been accused of lying about his 100km triathlon
Warner has since issued a light-hearted challenge, saying he would happily take on the former Love Island contestant in a running race.
He added:’ Not a boxing match. Unless she has one hand tied behind is back.’
Fury has not commented on the incident and it comes after he was accused last month of failing to complete a gruelling 100km triathlon in the French Riviera.
Race data tracking him appeared to show him not finishing the cycling stage of the event but organisers later explained road closures had affected figures.
