A stray cat caused chaos during an elite 100m race by sprinting across the finish line and almost colliding with the runners

A stray cat has become an internet sensation after darting across the finish line of a 100m race in Turkey, causing chaos in the process.

The feline trespasser ran straight across the track as athletes were about to cross the line during the 100m final at the Balkan U20 Men's Athletics Championship in Istanbul on Sunday.

Runners attempted to dodge the cat, with some just narrowly avoiding what would have been an un-fur-tunate (sorry) collision.

Since the incredible footage emerged, social media has been awash with cat related jokes about the incident.  

"Cat's failure to dip on the line costs it in this Turkish 100m," said one Twitter user.

"Well this could have been catastrophic," another said, while one person described it as the "purr-fect" finish.

The race was won by Turkish athlete Umut Uysal. It is unclear where the cat placed.

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