A wrong turn near 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.
Haunting video shows the 2022 champion appearing to be following a police motorcycle and going off the track.
Tefeir came 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 was “confused for a moment and followed a police motorcycle as it swerved off the track.”
“She was within sight of the goal banner, but we understand that in the heat of competition, instructions can be misinterpreted,” it said. “As an organization, we’re always disappointed when we don’t achieve perfection, and in this case it seems that way.”