Veronica Campbell-Brown rounded the curve in the 200m and kept going and going, straight into the next lane.
The Jamaican started in lane 5 and wound up in lane 6 at the world championships on Wednesday. She won her heat, and the rules allowed her to qualify for the semi-finals despite the mistake.
Campbell-Brown, the 2011 world champion in the event, didn’t stop to talk after her mistake, saying she was, “having a headache.”
British sprinter Margaret Adeoye was shocked to see Campbell-Brown suddenly appear in front of her.
The presence of Campbell-Brown nearly gave Adeoye a headache of her own, thinking she may have made an error.
“I was like, ‘Was that me or was that her?’” said Adeoye, who finished third in the heat to qualify for the semi-finals. “It helped me get to the finish line, so it’s fine. I just wanted to get as close to her as possible, because I knew she’d probably get DQed.”
IAAF rules dictate Adeoye’s trespasser progresses to the next round, because she crossed lanes “in the straight with no material advantage being gained, and no other athlete being jostled or obstructed so as to impede his or her progress.”
