tanguy pepiot , a steeplechase runner for the university of oregon , had a clear lead on his rival meron simon , who competes for the university of washington .
but at a track meet saturday in eugene , oregon , a crowd of more than 3,000 people saw the distance evaporate after pepiot raised his hands in pre-emptive joy , with less than 100m to go .
pepiot pepiot celebrated his victory -lrb- left -rrb- before missing out to his rival on the finishing line .
but the warning came too late , and simon flashed past meriot as the pair approach the line , eventually beating him by a tenth of a second .