March 25 (Reuters) – World Athletics will allow the United States to field three extra runners in the women’s half-marathon at this year’s World Road Running Championships after three leaders were led off course during their national championships earlier this month.
Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat were leading the race with two miles left when they were led astray, missing out on the podium and a qualification for the WRRC, which is reserved for the top four finishers.
McClain, Hurley and Kurgat were later compensated as organisers said police assigned to mark out the route had to leave their positions to respond to an emergency call.
World Athletics said it had made an “exceptional decision” to allow the U.S. to field seven female half-marathon runners at the WRRC, scheduled for Copenhagen in September, on a “strictly one-off basis”.
The three extra runners will be “non-scoring athletes” who cannot receive medals, prize money or count towards team results, but will receive world ranking points based on their performance, World Athletics said in a statement.
“USATF will select their four fastest athletes to be their scoring athletes, while non-scoring athletes… will take the three additional places. The three non-scoring athletes will wear USA national kit but of a different style to the four scoring athletes,” the statement added.
The USATF said McClain, Hurley and Kurgat will be a part of the team, along with the official top-three finishers Molly Born, Carrie Ellwood and Annie Rodenfels, with a final spot still to be decided based on world rankings.
“Should any non-scoring athletes finish in a prize-eligible position, USATF will also provide the corresponding prize money,” the national body said.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
