On November 24, during the half-marathon event held in the ancient city of Langzhong, Sichuan, a dramatic turn of events unfolded near the finish line. One runner, confident of his impending victory, slowed down and spread his arms in celebration. However, he failed to notice a fast-approaching rival, a Tibetan high school senior named Aneng Ciqia from Nanchong High School.

Seizing the opportunity, Aneng Ciqia launched a final sprint in the last moments, narrowly overtaking the celebrating runner by 0.1 seconds to claim the men’s half-marathon championship. The overtaken runner had to settle for second place.

In a post-race interview, Aneng Ciqia humorously remarked, “Popping the champagne early—turns out, he opened it for me to drink!”* The second-place finisher expressed regret over his premature celebration.