In the final meters of the ITU World Olympic Qualification triathlon, British triathletes Jess Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown grabbed each other's hands in celebration. The pair had secured the top two spots in Thursday's race in Tokyo and crossed the line together.

But their finish ran afoul of International Triathlon Union rules, which prohibits competitors from a "contrived tie situation, where no effort to separate their finish times has been made." 

Both Learmonth and Taylor-Brown were disqualified. 

After the ruling, Flora Duffy of Bermuda was elevated to first place. Alice Betto of Italy and Vittoria Lopes rounded out the new top three. 

Watch the full race here.