VIDEO: Race winner attempts to slap competitor in the face

Leader & eventual winner Silas Kipruto (7) turns around and strikes Teshome Mekonen (19) during the @qctimes #Bix 7. pic.twitter.com/eWy2O4EdFT

— John Schultz (@JohnSchultzQCT) July 30, 2016

Things got physical at the Bix 7-miler (11.2 kilometres) in Davenport, Iowa on Saturday as the eventual winner attempted to slap a fellow competitor during the race. Kenya’s Silas Kipruto spun around and swung at Ethiopian Teshome Mekonen’s face but whiffed.

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The altercation led Mekonen, who finished eighth in the race, to file a protest but officials determined that the swat was not “flagrant.” It’s believed that Mekonen was following Kipruto too closely in the race and clipping his heels which may have contributed to Kipruto’s frustration.

The elite athlete coordinator for the race, John Tope, said he was told that it was “incidental contact,” reports the Quad-City Times.

Mekonen and Isaac Mwangi, the two trailing runners at the time, reacted by putting their hands up in the air and pointing at Kipruto. The footage was captured by local television news station KWQC.

Full video

The lead runners often stay in a pack for both a psychological benefit and to draft off of other athletes. Athletes do this to reduce the energy they need to expend in hopes of finishing strong at the end of the race. A large pack, however, often leads to jostling and pushing as runners battle for position.

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The 31-year-old Kenyan and the rest of the group was taking a slight left on the course when the incident took place.

Kipruto won the Bix 7-mile race in 33:03, his third win at the Iowa race. The Kenyan is an accomplished runner who races mostly in the United States these days. He has run 27:28 for the 10K and 59:39 for the half-marathon.

The Facebook video of the altercation has been seen more than 25,000 times since being posted on July 30.

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Meb Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medallist in the marathon and part of the U.S. Olympic team for Rio, finished seventh in the race. The 41-year-old will again run the marathon at the Olympics in August.

Post-race autographs with @runmeb. #Bix7 pic.twitter.com/8bLG2mKKDV

— Quad-CityTimes Bix 7 (@BixSeven) July 30, 2016