(CNN) A Chinese marathon official has been banned for a year after he redirected an elite runner away from the finish line, in a mistake that almost changed the outcome of the race.

Kenyan runner Biegon Andrew Kiplangat was leading the pack in the Qingdao Marathon on May 4, and had entered the final 300-meter sprint when the guide car he was following exited the track, according to a report Monday on Tencent Sports.

Despite his competition being only meters behind him, Kiplangat followed the guided car off the track. Event organizers directed him back on course, and Kiplangat managed to win with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes and 17 seconds despite the diversion.

The second place holder -- who was also from Kenya -- was less than 4 seconds behind, according to the Tencent Sports report.

On May 10, the Chinese Athletic Association (CAA) penalized marathon official Huang Jianyi, banning him from overseeing marathons for a year.

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