He lost everything to save this dog! (Video)

While competing in the Constalica Rallye Vouzela, a two-day race through the highlands of Portugal, three-time winner Carlos Matos cast aside any chance of taking first place again — all to avoid possibly hurting a pup. Some sports competitors might do anything for that first place trophy – but not Carlos Matos. Piloting his Ford Fiesta R5, during the second-to-last stage of the race, Matos and his navigator were rounding a corner when he suddenly spotted a dog who’d wandered onto the course.

Without hesitating, the driver brought his car and despite traveling at speeds upwards of 90 mph while sliding through the turn, Matos managed to spin the car to a screeching halt in the blink of an eye, allowing the dog to escape uninjured. Matos eventually got back on track, but that lifesaving delay is said to have cost him the victory. But Matos says he wouldn’t have had it any other way. The professional car racer is being hailed for giving up the gold in order to ensure the safety of the stray dog that had wandered onto the race track.

He didn’t regret it!

The driver says that though his good deed meant defeat, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. “Those who know me know I have great admiration for animals,” he later told the race’s organizers, adding that he has five dogs of his own. “If it happened again today, I would do the exact same thing.” Watch the video, netizens quickly picked up the story, shared it, and praised the race car driver for saving the life of stray canine.