Sharon Donnelly watched the eerie replay, and knew she had to make the call.

Nobody knew better how Jill Savege felt yesterday when she crashed during the cycling leg of the Athens Games women's triathlon.

"My heart went out to her," Donnelly said yesterday from her Kingston home, where she watched her friend and former training partner's dream of an Olympic medal end on the searing streets of suburban Athens. "I knew exactly what she was going through."

Four years ago at the Sydney Games, Donnelly suffered the same fate -- a bike crash that ruined her race, and left her bleeding, bruised and in tears when she crossed the finish line near the famed Opera House.

The scene played out one more time yesterday in Greece. Donnelly finished 38th in Sydney; Savege was 39th yesterday.

It's what compelled Donnelly to track down Savege in Athens for a post-race phone chat.

"It was good being able to talk to her," Donnelly said. "I just told her 'you'll get over it.' It sounded like it much the same for her as it was for me."

When Savege talked with CBC following the triathlon, she spoke tearfully about her need to make sure she finished -- a virtual carbon copy of the speech Donnelly made four years ago in Australia.

"I hated the idea of not finishing," Savege told CBC.

Said Donnelly:"I was so glad to see her finish. When you don't finish, you don't just get that feeling of finality."

Donnelly went through a wide range of emotions during the race. On the one hand, she was thrilled to see two members of her training group -- Australia's Loretta Harrop and Susan Williams of the U.S. -- land on the podium. It's a group Savege was part of until December, when she chose to return closer to home in Penticton, B.C., to train for Athens.

Donnelly hoped to be there herself, but just missed the final qualifying spot during a winner-take-all World Cup race July 15 in Edmonton. It made watching yesterday "hard."

"I know I could have done the job -- I could have gotten a good placement and helped Jill," said Donnelly, who had to stay race fit in case she was called upon as an injury fill-in.

She forced herself to wake up to watch the 3 a.m. race partly because she's been doing Olympic commentary for TV and radio stations in Kingston.

"I'm glad I saw the race ... It seems like a rerun from last time (in Sydney)," she admitted yesterday.

Then, with an eye toward Simon Whitfield's run in the men's race, she added "let's just hope the rerun continues until (today)."