Bizarre moment a Solomon Islands marathon runner races in the women's 100 METRES at Paris Olympics - with predictable results

A marathon runner bizarrely took part in an Olympic women's 100 metre race on Friday morning - with a predictable result.   

Respected long-distance runner Sharon Firisua ran 100m in 14.31 seconds - almost three seconds behind first place - and finished last of her preliminary heat.

Firisua fell behind at the beginning and was already some distance behind the lead by the mid-way point of the race. 

She crossed the line trailing the other backmarkers and embraced Tuvalu's Temalini Manatoa after creating an eccentric Olympic memory. 

Solomonese sprinters and officials were fuming that she was granted a wildcard entry after being selected ahead of specialist sprinters - with one vowing to quit the sport after being snubbed.

The athlete holds six Solomon Islands records including for the marathon but none of those are for distances shorter than 1500m. 

Jovita Arunia, one of the country's best sprinters, branded it 'unbelievable' that Firisua had been selected ahead of her. 

The sprinter had not qualified for the 100m race but the Solomon Islands were granted a wildcard spot and officials granted the place to Firisua. 

Arunia, denied her Olympic dream aged 22, told ABC News: 'We're the [actual] sprinters. I don't know what went wrong. It's unbelievable.

'I will not compete anymore because of what they did.'

This was Firisua's third Olympics. She debuted in the 500m in Rio in 2016 and finished 72nd in the marathon at the Tokyo Games.

However, the iconic Solomons athlete did not qualify for the marathon this time around. 

Michael Kuali, president of the Solomon Islands Athletic Federation, revealed that his body had nominated sprinters.

However, the National Olympic Committee decided to opt for Firisua, which, Kuali told ABC News, 'came as a shock'.

Firisua is one of just two athletes from her nation at the Paris Olympics, with the other being swimmer Isabella Millar. 

The long-distance runner is a prominent sporting name in her homeland, having taken home five golds at the Pacific Games across 500m, 10,000m, and half-marathon events. 

She is also a six-time medalist at the Oceania Championships four of those gold, and was named her country's sportswoman of the year in 2013. 

Growing up, Firisua worked in the family garden in Loina village in North Malaita, as per the Guardian. Her family were traditional subsistence farmers. 

As a teenager she reportedly won the Honiara Easter fun run and her uncle bought her a pair of shoes.

'I always took care of those shoes,' Firisua said.

'I would go barefoot everywhere else, but they were my lucky shoes.'

In her native language, her name means 'Chosen Arrow'.