The Chinese women's 4x100m relay team crossed the finish line nearly 25 seconds behind gold medal winners Jamaica at the World Athletics Championships on Saturday night.
They did so due to a mix-up in their final baton change between Kong Lingwei and Ge Manqi.
China had been in medal contention going into the final leg but the last baton change was not made within the takeover zone. The baton must be handed over before crossing the yellow line on the home straight.
Realising that they could be in breach of the rules and knowing that the top eight teams at the World Championships qualify for next year's Olympic Games, Kong Lingwei and Ge Manqi attempted to backtrack and make the changeover legally.
It led to a comedy scene of the pair running backwards as everyone else hared towards the finish line.
Their efforts were in vain though. They were later disqualified on the official result for breaking rule 170.7, "Passing the baton outside the takeover zone".
