British 200m runner has 'absolute disaster' and manages to lose race after being way out in front
We all love a confident king, but let Jake Odey-Jordan's mishap remind you that you can't take your foot off the gas until you're over the finish line.
The track star, who is just 16-years-old, got off to a flying start at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, in the men's 200m heat - but ended up completely flunking it in the end.
The 6ft Brit was leading the pack at the start of the race and made sprinting in the sweltering heat look easy, with commentators pointing out that he was 'blusting his way around the bend' just seconds after it began.
It seemed that it was a dead-cert that European U18 leader Odey-Jordan would take home the crown as he made light work of pacing towards the finish line.
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The young athlete - who boasts an impressive 200m personal best of just 20.55 seconds - then had what sports pundits described as an 'absolute disaster' at the tournament, as he suddenly began to slow down dramatically.
In an almost car crash-like moment, viewers watched with baited breath as Odey-Jordan began to decelerate when he hit the home stretch and appeared to glance over his shoulder to check where his opponents were.
Much to his surprise, they were right behind him.
Before he barely had a second to react and get his legs over the line before anyone else, his sure-fire victory was snatched away from him as his fellow runners stormed straight past him.
The Brit commentators put it best when they said: "What's happened here? What has gone wrong there? That was an absolute disaster. He has eased up far, far, far too early and half the field swept past him before the finish line.
"This is going to be a lesson learned the very, very hard way - after what was, for the first 150m, a masterful display of sprinting. Jake Odey-Jordan easing up way, way, way too early and they all came past."
Unfortunately for the teenager, Sweden's Bram Persson, 16, ran fastest and won the heat in 21.79 seconds.
He was closely followed by Denmark's Samuel Kaerhog who did it in 21.95 seconds and Switzerland's Mathieu Gabioud, 17, who took the three automatic qualifying spots.
It meant that Odey-Jordan did not bag a spot in the top three to qualify.
Speaking of his spectacular loss, the Brit said: "It is all right. I mean, it is my fault so I cannot be sad about anything but myself. It is what it is. It felt good, it was not the fastest run but it felt good.
"For sure, it could have been sub 21. But it is all good though. I am just out here, it is my first race on this meet, I just tried to get on my legs, nothing hurts me or nothing like that."
The runner also shared two screenshots of some positive messages he received from his nearest and dearest following his loss on his Instagram story.
One read in part: "Things truly happen for a reason. We live and learn. You are still young..."
Another said: "God said: #notyet."
A big lesson learned for Odey-Jordan, but let's hope it fuels the fire in his belly for his next big race.
Olivia Burke