The hallucinatory moment occurred tonight (Monday through Tuesday) at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA, when a television photographer interrupted the runners in the 3000-meter hurdles final.
In an attempt to get a good picture of the triple jump competition taking place inside the field, the world athletics photographer got on the track, unaware that a live race was taking place behind him and when the runners approached him, they avoided hitting him thus avoiding great embarrassment.
What the…?!?!
Lol my hat is off to @karagoucher for not losing her cool on the live broadcast when the cameraman… became the 29th barrier of the men's steeple final !?
😳 # wcoregon22 pic.twitter.com/zx00UpdFxL
- Sally Bergesen (@oiselle_sally) July 19, 2022
"I was a little worried he was going to move one way or another, right at the last second," said American Owen Jaeger, who finished Friday.
"Fortunately he did not realize we were there until we all passed him."
For everyone, the event was reminiscent of the Beijing World Championships seven years ago, when Usain Bolt won a 200-meter dash and photographed a motorized vehicle traveling alongside the sprinter as he circled the stadium with the medal, lost balance, tripped over Bolt who was next to him - and the two fell together.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the federation is looking into what happened.
"I do not want to be indifferent to these things," he said, "but these things happen. Indeed the photographer could see what was going on around him and identify the runners and he stood still, which is the most important thing. He did not move."
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
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