Earlier this week, 2-year-old Imoh Umoren II of Lagos, Nigeria lost a race at school for probably the best reason ever. When he spotted his father Imoh on the sidelines, he opted to go and give his dad a hug instead of crossing the finish line.
My son finished 4th in the race because instead of running across the finish line he ran to hug me. Ah well won my heart pic.twitter.com/ww99o0qfSV
— Imoh Umoren (@ImohUmoren) February 21, 2017
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The adorable father and son duo practiced for the race all week, so Little Imoh was under the impression that his dad would be competing with him in his first competition. Once he realized he wasn’t, he was a little disappointed but that quickly changed when he saw his dad.
Imoh, an Indie film director, said of the special moment: “When he came to hug me, I was immediately teary because it showed me that sometimes love is actually the prize. As adults … we need to be reminded that love and friendship are more important than winning trophies.”
For Imoh, becoming a father has been a complete dream come true, as he’s always longed for a father- son relationship after losing both of his parents at age 13.
“So I have always craved that relationship with a child and I couldn’t wait to have my own family. And I’m really trying to raise him right to be a gentleman and expressive.”
Little Imoh may not have won the race that day, but he definitely won his Dad’s and perhaps all of our hearts.