The crowd was vociferous. (vociferous: clamorous, vehement, outspoken) A bad bounce had made the favorite stumble, and a vocal group wanted the substitute captain to sprint past. (vocal: outspoken, expressive, forthright) The rival lay curled on the track. An official tried to pacify the agitated spectators, whose unbridled exuberance had turned to wrath at the delay. (pacify: calm, soothe, appease; agitated: upset, perturbed, disturbed; unbridled: unchecked, uncontrolled, unrestrained; exuberance: ebullience, enthusiasm, buoyancy; wrath: fury, rage, ire)
The captain had just enough stamina for another lap. (stamina: endurance, staying power, toughness) It took a different kind of restraint to stop and intervene. (restraint: self-control, self-restraint, moderation; intervene: step in, intercede, interpose) An instinctive reach for the runner's arm brought a sharp refusal. (instinctive: automatic, intuitive, spontaneous) Instead she stayed where an approaching competitor could see them both and waved the field around.
The rival got up, finished last and asked for a rematch. When the pair returned to the start in the fall, the crowd's full-throated fervor was for both of them. (fervor: ardor, zeal, passion) This time nobody needed to subdue the spectators. (subdue: suppress, restrain, quell) The first race had taught them what to cheer.