Former European champion Arthur Abele was spared a nightmarish ending to his career after a false start almost ended his chances of competing in his farewell race.
German decathlete Abele, 36, is bound for retirement following a home outing at the European Athletics Championships in Munich. However, his goodbye in front of a home crowd was almost hit by tragedy after he was booted from the 110-metres hurdles for a false start.
The veteran could be seen struggling to hold back tears trackside after learning his fate, failing to prevent his punishment after being shown a red flag. The call looked incredibly close from a layman's perspective, and a successful appeal meant Abele was given the chance to run the hurdles again on his own.
The Olympiastadion audience cheered their ex-champion on in cacophonous fashion for his second attempt. It clearly had an impact on the runner, too, as he beamed brightly crossing the finish line.
That positive procession continued online, with one Twitter user calling the incident a "great story only life can write." Others were more bemused by the spectacle itself, meanwhile, as another spectator wrote: "Arthur Abele’s solo 110m hurdles might be one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen in athletics."
Abele's final time of 14.51 seconds was good enough for eighth among his peers, though it wasn't sufficient to see him retain the crown he first claimed in Berlin four years ago. The decathlete title did stay in Germany's possession, however, as heir Niklas Kaul took the gold from his compatriot.
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Kaul, 24, burst onto the senior circuit with a surprise gold medal win at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. He failed to complete the decathlon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before finishing sixth in his world title defence earlier this year, but his European triumph represents a return to the top.
Even in Kaul's moment of glory, however, Abele snared the spotlight as the decathlon concluded with the 1,500 metres. It was there that his fellow competitors formed a guard of honour for the departing star in recognition of his contributions, which included two Olympic outings in 2008 and 2016.
No-one can claim Abele's last hurdles competition wasn't at least a unique occasion, made all the better by the fact it happened on home soil. Despite a close shave at its conclusion, his glittering career was signed off with tears, smiles, and a standing ovation for one of Germany's best modern athletes.
