Sometimes telling stories and sharing anecdotes just isn’t enough, and kids have to learn the hard way. A 16-year-old sprinter from England learned about the dangers of celebrating early in the most hilarious way at the U18 European Championships on Friday, and I promise you’re not ready for how bad this was.
Jake Odey-Jordan was clearly the most talented sprinter in the men’s 200m fourth heat, and it wasn’t even close. By the time they rounded the bend onto the final straight he was so far ahead that Odey-Jordan felt he could walk it in — emphasis on felt.
Odey-Jordan took his foot off the gas with about 25 meters left in the race, confident he’d stroll across in time. The issue is he seemingly had no awareness of anyone around him, let alone the competitors who thundered past him at the line.
There simply wasn’t enough time to get back to speed and keep up by the time the sprinter realized he was in trouble. As a result Odey-Jordan finished fourth, and was eliminated from competition.
If there’s a silver lining to all this maybe it’s that he won’t get caught out the next time the option to celebrate early opens.
