Ontario high schooler stripped of silver medal at New Balance Nationals

Graham Tomori of St. Catharines, Ont., thought he’d just run the race of his life.

The 18-year-old crossed the line in 14:23.87 in the boys’ 5,000m event at the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia. It was good enough for a silver medal in a deep field of North America’s best high school distance runners. But the celebration didn’t last.

After the awards ceremony, Tomori was informed he’d been disqualified under USATF Rule 163.5, stepping along the inside of the rail—a technical infraction that stripped him of both his medal and time.

According to Tomori, the in