Ethiopian Senbere Teferi was seconds away from defending her Peachtree Road Race title in Atlanta on Tuesday (Jul 5), when a last-minute wrong turn cost the world championship silver medallist both the win and a significant chunk of prize money.
Teferi, who last year won the 10-kilometre race held annually on Jul 4, followed a police motorcycle when it turned right just before the finish line, and ran off course.
After realising her mistake, it was too late for Teferi to recover the lead as she finished third, four seconds behind fellow Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfay who claimed first and pocketed US$10,000 in prize money.
"I was really upset by Senbere's mistake because she was in the front and she was leading, but she took that last turn," Tesfay was quoted as saying by US media.
"At first I thought they didn't show us that well yesterday where the finish was. But after I saw that car turn, I saw the finish sign in front of me, so I pushed ahead. But I was really upset because I planned to stick with Senbere at the finish."
The mistake has cost the 28-year-old US$7,000 after she was left with US$3,000 prize for the third spot.