Photo: Jewel SAMAD / AFP
According to theSouth China Morning Post, China’s relay team was in contention to medal at the championships on Saturday night until two of their runners fumbled a handover right before the final stretch of the race.
In a video of the moment (whichyou can watch here), the runners are seen sprinting back to the start of the passing zone to try it again as the other teams race toward the finish. The two runners then stop to yell at each other in confusion, apparently over who should carry the baton.
The incident immediately became the subject of ridicule on social media, with one YouTube usersetting footage of the runners to theBenny Hilltheme song.
“That was just flat out bizarre! It was like they’d never been on a track before,” wrote onecommenter.
China’s Liang Xiaojing (L) and Kong Lingwei (R) comfort teammate Ge Manqi.Jewel SAMAD / AFP
“It does look calamitous but they have qualified for the Olympics,” she added.
As they would soon learn, because the team failed to complete the pass before crossing the designated yellow line on the track, they were immediately disqualified.
That means their chances of making it to the Olympics in Tokyo next year are now in jeopardy.
Not all is lost for China’s team, though. According to theMorning Post, the team can still qualify depending on their IAAF ranking next summer.
source: people.com
