L’USATF ha precisato che la selezione ufficiale della squadra per i Mondiali 2026 avverrà solo a maggio e che l’intera vicenda di Atlanta sarà analizzata a fondo. L’obiettivo dichiarato è tutelare gli interessi di tutte le atlete coinvolte, anche se la sensazione è che la ferita resterà aperta a lungo.
The women’s half marathon in Atlanta, serving as a U.S. selection race, exploded into controversy after the lead vehicle mistakenly directed the front trio of athletes off the official course.
Jess McClain, who was comfortably ahead of Ednah Kurgat and Emma Hurley, suddenly found herself running in the wrong direction after following the misdirected lead car. What looked like a decisive victory evaporated in an instant.
Meanwhile, Molly Born — trailing by more than a minute — stayed on the correct route and crossed the finish line first, securing her qualification for September’s World Road Running Championships.
Carrie Ellwood and Annie Rodenfels finished second and third, while the three athletes affected by the mistake plummeted down the standings: McClain ninth, Hurley twelfth, Kurgat thirteenth.
The initial protest filed by the three athletes was rejected, but an appeal later led the jury to acknowledge that the course signage at the deviation point was inadequate. However, USATF regulations provide no mechanism to alter the official finishing order in such situations.
USATF stated that the official team for the 2026 World Road Running Championships will not be selected until May and that the Atlanta incident will be thoroughly reviewed. The organization emphasized that the final decision will aim to protect the interests of all athletes involved, though the sense of injustice is likely to linger.
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