Official in China suspended for blocking marathon winner from crossing finish line
Winning a marathon is a rare achievement that many would not get to experience. But for one marathon winner in China, crossing the finish line came with an unexpected obstacle.
A marathon official mistakenly blocked the winner as he was about to cross the finish line, directing him towards the half-marathon lane instead.
Although the error was later rectified and an apology issued, the incident led to a one-year suspension for the official.
According to the South China Morning Post, organisers blamed the mistake on the rain, saying that the official’s glasses were obscured.
Confusion at finish line
The incident took place at the 2026 Chongqing Wanzhou Marathon last Sunday (15 March). The eventual winner, Sheng Xueli, had been leading the race by a fair margin when he approached the finish line.
A clip uploaded to X, on March 16, shows Mr Sheng running alone on the left, where the full marathon runners would be. On the right, a stream of runners, participating in the half-marathon, were running alongside him.
Source: @absolutchina on X
Mr Sheng, along with the other full-marathon runners, was wearing white bibs while the half-marathon runners were wearing orange-red bibs.
Despite this distinction, the official completely mishandled the situation.
As Mr Sheng got closer to the finish line, he was blocked, and the official gestured for him to enter the half-marathon lane.
When Mr Sheng rightfully did not do as instructed, the official forcefully blocked and pushed the marathon winner into the other lane.
Source: @absolutchina on X
A brief moment later, the official can be seen apologising to Mr Sheng before directing him to cross the finish line again — this time in the correct lane.
Source: @absolutchina on X
Winner was graceful and accepted error
On 16 March, Mr Sheng addressed the incident on social media.
Although he said he did not blame anyone, he did want to see stricter standards for races to ensure respect and safety for the participants.
Recounting the incident, Mr Sheng recalled feeling joy that he was about to be the marathon winner. That was soon replaced with confusion when the official attempted to block him.
According to Dawn, the official has since been suspended from his duties for one year.
The Chongqing Athletics Association urged the official to deeply reflect on his actions and recognise the seriousness of officiating.
Also read: Man runs Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon with baby strapped to chest, told to leave course
Man runs Hong Kong Standard Chartered Marathon with baby strapped to chest, told to leave course
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Featured image adapted from @absolutchina on X.Â
