Soudi-Thasmy Moussa of Comoros collapsed on her side in exhaustion short of the finishing line and, despite loud encouragement from spectators, remained powerless on the track.

Live images of what happened next went viral as bronze medallist Swart and Vancardo ran to her assistance and supported her to cross the line.

The Comoros athlete was credited with last place in a time of 2min 54.72sec in a race where gold went to Italy’s Laura Pellicoro in 2:04.20.

Swart, who is studying medicine at the University of Pretoria, stressed her intervention on the final day of the Chengdu 2021 FISU Games was much more than an instinctive reaction.

"Above all it was about understanding and respect," she said.

"Obviously she comes from a small country and it must be extremely intimidating to compete in front of such a large crowd.

"It takes a lot of you to run in a big event like that and she probably was not used to it, it means a lot for her."

The award was witnessed by the FISU Acting President Leonz Eder and secretary general and chief executive Éric Saintrond.

"Fair play includes values such as persistence, team spirit and care, among many others, and these three athletes showed they are role models," said Gabor Deregan, executive director of the International Fair Play Committee.

"We are grateful to FISU for the long-term cooperation and for the promotion of fair play to university athletes."