Tommy Fury has swapped the boxing ring for the running track, but brought the elbows with him. During the final stretch of the Great North Run, Tommy was caught on camera pushing a fellow runner aside to secure his signature sprint finish.
Now, the man he barged past has broken his silence – and it turns out he’s pretty angry, but still hoping for a rematch.
@sophieconnor05 @Tommy Fury takes no prisoners
#fyp #GNR #RunTok #TommyFury #greatnorthrun
This isn’t the first time that Tommy has finished a race like this. Back in January, he was mocked after nearly colliding with an elderly woman at a local 10k, and he’s since earned himself a reputation for turning half marathons into wrestling matches.
This time, the footage shows Fury elbowing past another competitor as he powers toward the finish line. Spectators were quick to call him out.
One person tweeted: “Actually annoyed me that he’s pushed that innocent man.” Another asked the question on everyone’s mind: “Why’s he pushing people out of his way?”
That “innocent man” turned out to be Diarmaid Warner, a 38-year-old plumber from Dumbarton who was running to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK in memory of his late brother.
Credit: JustGiving/@Diarmaid Warner
Speaking to The Sun, Diarmaid described the moment: “As you get to the end you think the finish line is straight in front of you. It’s only at the last few metres 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 – it’s not really race etiquette.”
Later, he realised the mystery shove had come from none other than Tommy Fury. Diarmaid said: “I told my wife, you’ll never guess what – Tommy Fury’s pushed me out of the way.”
His mum wasn’t about to let her son’s dignity go unnoticed, posting on Facebook: “Diarmaid Warner is the real hero and finished ahead of Tommy Fury by 12 minutes. Our champion.”
As for Fury, he’s stayed silent. But the runner has cheekily suggested a rematch – with one very important condition: “Not a boxing match, unless he has one hand tied behind his back.”
And he had some words of advice for Tommy too: “I started with thousands of people who were slower than me, but you just weave your way around them. You don’t push them out of the way.”
Lesson of the day: you can be a knockout in the ring, but on the half marathon course… maybe leave the elbows at home.
Featured image credit: Instagram/@tommyfury, TikTok/@sophieconnor05
