A wrong turn just short of the finish line of the 10-kilometer Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday cost Eithopia’s Senbere Teferi the title and thousands of dollars in prize money.
Painful video shows the 2022 champion appearing to follow a police motorcycle and run off the track.
Tefeir got back on track and finished third.
She won $3,000 instead of the $10,000 awarded to the winner.
In a statement, the AJC Peachtree Road Race said it appeared Teferi “got confused for a moment and followed a police motorcycle as it spun off the track”.
“She was within sight of the finish flag, but we understand that instructions can be misinterpreted in the heat of battle,” he added. “As an organization we are disappointed when we are not perfect, and in this case it seems we did.”
