On Monday night Brazil time, Bahamian athlete Shaunae Miller won the gold in the women's 400m event at the Rio Olympics. She finished a mere 0.07 seconds ahead of the United States' Allyson Felix, who was the favourite for the gold.
But here's the thing: Felix's feet had actually crossed the finish line ahead of Miller's, so she wasn't the only one shocked to see her name in second spot on the leaderboard. As it turned out, an extremely lucky tumble by Miller saw her torso cross the finish line ahead of Felix, which, according to the rules is enough to win you the race.
Lucky tumble, though, or wilful dive?
Miller lay on the track for several minutes after the race had finished, not knowing she had won. It was only when she heard her mother shouting "Get up! Get up!" from the stands that she realised what had happened. She had won the gold by the length of her arm.
Even though Miller was not the first athlete to win a race with a dive, her move was questioned and criticised by some on social media. However, the rules clearly state that runners needn't be on their feet when crossing the finish line, even if it is done intentionally.
Still, Miller and her coach insisted that her dive was not indeed intentional, saying her legs gave way as she approached the line. “I’ve never done it before. I have cuts and bruises, a few burns. It hurts,” she was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
This did not stop social media punters from having some fun at her expense. Miller's dive became the subject of many a meme:
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