A former Marathon runner was awarded for his sporting spirit after being denied Olympic gold by a fan.

Brazilian athlete Vanderlei de Lima missed out on first place in the men’s Marathon at the 2004 Athens Games.

Lima was denied gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics after being stopped by a spectatorCredit: AFP

The incident caused the Brazilian to lose rhythm and seconds before being overtakenCredit: AFP

Lima had been leading the race by around 25 seconds after 22 miles in the Greek capital.

However, he lost precious seconds after a spectator ran onto the course and pushed him towards the crowd.

The intruder later turned out to be infamous former priest Neil Horan, who had previously disrupted the 2003 British Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, Lima was helped by another fan, who stepped in to help free him so he could continue.

The damage had already been done, though, with valuable seconds and rhythm lost due to the incident.

As a result, Lima later surrendered his lead as the finish line approached.

Italy’s Stefano Baldini and American athlete Meb Keflezighi both overtook their rival in the closing miles.

However, Lima remained all smiles as he entered the Panathenaic Stadium for the final metres of the race – and still made history as the first Brazilian to win a medal of any colour at the Olympics.

Despite having to settle for bronze, he said: “When I entered the stadium, I was so happy that I had already forgotten the episode. It’s bronze but it means gold.”

His attitude saw him awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal at the end of the Games for exemplifying true sporting spirit.

Lima was honoured by the Olympic Committee for his sporting spirit after winning bronzeCredit: AFP

The Marathon runner later lit the Olympic cauldron at the 2016 Games in RioCredit: AFP

The award pays tribute to those who contribute to the promotion of the Olympic values.

Lima was cited for showing both the values and fair play after accepting bronze after the incident with Horan.

It would prove to be his best performance at the Olympics as he won his only medal across three Games.

Prior to finishing third in Athens, he had appeared at both Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 but failed to place higher than 47th.

As well as being awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal, Lima was also handed an historic honour at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

He was chosen to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony at the Maracana

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The two-time Pan American Games champion had retired from competitive Marathon running aged 39 in 2009.

His career also included wins in the Tokyo International and Hamburg Marathons.