WATCH: Sprinters share gold in men’s 110m hurdles after tying at Asian Games

It’s rare to see two athletes split a medal at a major championship, especially on the track. In an unusual turn of events in the men’s 110m hurdles final at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Japanese hurdler Shunya Takayama and Kuwait’s Yaqoub Alyouha found themselves in a dead heat, both finishing in 13.41 (.409) seconds, sharing the gold medal.

Congrats to Japan's Takayama Shunya and Kuwait's Alyouha Yaqoub on tying for first place in Men's 110m Hurdles event with a time of 13.41 seconds! #Hangzhou #AsianGames #Athletics #TeamJapan #TeamKuwait #Hurdles #HangzhouAsianGames #AsianGames2023 #GoldMedal @WorldAthletics… pic.twitter.com/l8NQMkDHjA

— 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Official (@19thAGofficial) October 2, 2023

Even a photo finish couldn’t separate the two, leaving the officials with a rare conundrum. After several replays, they eventually confirmed that both Takayama and Alyouha had clocked identical times.

A dead heat in track and field is when two or more athletes cross the finish line at the same time—and no individual winner can be named.

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Takayama won bronze in the 110m hurdles at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and now upgraded that medal to gold in 2023. “Getting a gold medal makes me very happy,” said Takayama to reporters post-race. “To get two gold medals with another athlete makes me twice as happy.”

Alyouha, too, said it was a pleasure to share the victory, acknowledging the rarity of such an outcome in their line of work. “It’s a great pleasure for me to win the gold,” said Alyouha. “My nerves ran cold waiting for confirmation that I won.”

In the history of the Olympics and World Championships, there has not been a shared track medal since the men’s decathlon in 1912. Alyouha and Takayama are the first sprinters to share a gold at the Asian Games.