Tommy Fury filmed pushing fellow runner near finish of Great North Run, columnist reports

Tommy Fury was filmed pushing another competitor aside as he approached the finish line of the Great North Run, a Daily Mail columnist reported Monday, drawing criticism amid the half marathon's celebration of mass participation and charity fundraising.

Diarmaid Warner, a plumber from Dumbarton who was running to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK, told the Daily Mail he felt a hand on his shoulder that pushed him to the side so Fury could run through. "I was a bit upset and thought that's not on — it's not really race etiquette," Warner said.

The incident was described in a column by Bryony Gordon, who said she travelled to the event on a VIP coach and sat behind Fury before the race. Gordon wrote that Fury was polite while waiting and posed for a photograph, but she criticised his behaviour after seeing footage from the finish line. Gordon also said she was elbowed by another runner around mile five.

The Great North Run, which attracts about 60,000 participants, is widely regarded as the largest half marathon in the world and is known for large, vocal crowds and on-course entertainment. Organisers offer a route that stretches across the Tyne Bridge and through communities in the North East of England; Gordon noted a succession of choirs, steel bands and even a flyover by the Red Arrows.

Gordon's column highlighted wider concerns about so-called "vanity runners" who prioritise fast finishes or personal bests over manners and inclusivity at mass-participation events. She pointed to the event's charitable ethos, noting Warner's fundraising and a poem inscribed on some medals that reads, "We the thousands, we stand as one. We stand together, we are the Great North Run."

Fury, 26, first reached public attention as a contestant on Love Island and is the brother of former world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury. He has promoted sprint finishes at shorter events, including triathlons and 10-kilometre races, to his social media following. The Daily Mail report said Fury had not posted about the finish-line footage.

Organisers and Fury did not immediately issue comment in the account published with the column. The runner whom Warner said was pushed was taking part in a charity effort; Warner's fundraising target and total were not disclosed in the article.

The episode comes amid broader public debate about behaviour at crowded sporting events and the balance between competitive ambition and the inclusive spirit organisers seek to foster. The Great North Run has a long history as a mass-participation charity event, drawing elite athletes alongside recreational runners, and it has been promoted as an opportunity to encourage people of all ages, shapes and abilities to take part.

Gordon also noted a separate error with some event medals that featured the wrong North East city name, citing an example that showed Sunderland instead of Newcastle. She framed the incident with Fury as part of a pattern that, in her view, undercuts the event's stated values.

The Great North Run typically raises millions of pounds annually for hundreds of charities and remains a major fixture on the running calendar. Any formal response from event organisers or Fury to the specific allegation was not included in the Daily Mail column.

As the sport community and charity supporters assess the account, the episode highlights tensions that can arise when high-profile participants take part in mass events that rely on goodwill and mutual respect among thousands of runners.