USC Runner's Amazing Rally Proves Race Isn't Over Until It's Over

The announcers said Purdue had won before the relay finish. Kendall Ellis proved them wrong to clinch Trojans' NCAA title.
Kendall Ellis' improbable comeback in the women's 4x400 relay clinched the team title for USC at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Kendall Ellis' improbable comeback in the women's 4x400 relay clinched the team title for USC at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Jamie Schwaberow via Getty Images

Kendall Ellis’ anchor leg on USC’s 4x400 meter women’s relay at the NCAA Track and Field Championships will take your breath away. It certainly did hers.

She bobbled the baton exchange and trailed by a long way with the Trojans needing a victory to win the team title over the weekend.

The margin was still so wide on the home straight that ESPN announcer Dwight Stones said “there’s no way” front-runner Purdue could lose.

He was wrong.

Ellis nipped Purdue’s Jahneya Mitchell at the finish and caught the attention of a few prominent sports stars.

Even if you’re not a track fan, the whole race is a blast. Check it out here:

CORRECTION: A photo caption in a previous version of this story incorrectly identified Kendall Ellis as Kendall Harris.

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