British runner unthinkably takes foot off gas, misses qualifiers after leading most of race

The 200-meter race in the U18 European Athletics Championships in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, was British runner’s Jake Odey-Jordan’s to lose. With a massive lead, the question was less about whether he’d win and more about his time and who would finish second.

Then, suddenly, the 16-year-old stopped sprinting. Apparently, with the assumption that either the finish line was closer than it was or he was further ahead than he was, Odey-Jordan eased up and looked around. He watched three other runners zoom past him, and a fourth nearly do the same.

It was a lesson to learn at the worst possible time, as Odey-Jordan unimaginably found himself missing the qualification mark.

A valuable lesson learned in #BanskaBystrica2024!

Don’t ease back *that* early…! pic.twitter.com/eOlcLFtA3S

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 19, 2024

He finished fourth, according to outlets including Sky News. In an interview, the runner said, “It is my fault, so I cannot be sad about anything but myself,” according to the outlet.

Odey-Jordan needed to finish in the top three to qualify for the next round. Instead, he’ll leave wondering what could have been and knowing that in the future, one must finish the race strong.