Tommy Fury filmed appearing to push runner at Great North Run, eyewitness says

Tommy Fury was filmed appearing to push a fellow runner as he approached the finish line of the Great North Run on Sunday, according to video of the finish and an eyewitness account published afterwards.

Columnist Bryony Gordon, who said she was on the VIP coach behind Fury before the race, reported seeing footage of the incident and described the behaviour as contrary to the spirit of mass-participation events. Diarmaid Warner, a plumber from Dumbarton who was raising funds for Muscular Dystrophy UK, told reporters: "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."

Fury, 26, who first gained public attention as a finalist on Love Island and has more than 5 million followers on Instagram, has previously showcased sprint finishes at shorter races and triathlons. He had not posted about the half-marathon finish as of Gordon’s column. Gordon wrote that Fury was polite while waiting before the event and that she overheard him speaking on the phone to his partner and their young daughter.

Organisers said about 60,000 people took part in this year’s Great North Run, which Gordon and others described as a lively, community-focused event with bands, choirs and flyovers. The race is widely regarded as the largest half marathon in the world and raises money for many charities; Warner was among those running for a charity cause.

Gordon criticised what she called "vanity runners" who prioritise a personal best or a sprint finish over race etiquette and the inclusivity organisers promote. She also wrote that during the race she was elbowed aside by another runner at about mile five, an experience she said underlined concerns about on-course behaviour at large public races.

The Great North Run’s commemorative medal drew attention this year after it reportedly bore the name of the wrong North-East city; Gordon noted the medal includes a poem that reads in part, "We the thousands, we stand as one. We stand together, we are the Great North Run," and said the words reflected the event’s inclusive aims.

No formal complaint or race steward statement about the specific finish-line incident was cited in Gordon’s account. Organisers and Fury had not released public statements responding to the video or the accusations in Gordon’s column at the time the column was published.