Olympic long distance runner misses out on thousands after making wrong turn just before the finish line

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The annual Peachtree Road Race in Georgia ended in heartbreak for defending champion Senbere Teferi who mistakenly made a wrong turn just within sight of the finish line, losing out on the $10,000 first place prize. 

Teferi, a two-time Olympian and long distance runner representing Ethiopia, finished in third place just four seconds behind Fotyen Tesfay in the Elite Women’s category on Tuesday after she mistakenly followed a police motorbike that appeared to be leading the pack in the 10k road race. 

Senbere Teferi crosses the finish line to win the 2023 NYRR New York Mini 10K on June 10, 2023 in New York City.  (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Organizers of the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race released a statement saying it was "disappointed" over the incident. 

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"As our defending champion, Senbere Teferi, was approaching the finish line, it looks like she momentarily became confused and followed a police motorcycle when it turned off the course.

"She was within sight of the finish banner, but we understand that in the heat of competition instructions can be misinterpreted. As an organization, we are disappointed whenever we fall short of perfection, and in this case, it appears we did."

According to the AJC, Teferi held the lead for the majority of the race before making that final turn. 

Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia crosses the finish line to finish second in the Women's United Airlines NYC Half Marathon on March 19, 2023 in New York City.  (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

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