This is the bizarre moment an emu suddenly appears on a running track during a school sports day.

The bird was caught on video as it ran a lap at the high school in Lishui, in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province, on 13th October.

Phone footage shows dozens of pupils observing the emu as it ran in circles around them on the track.

It reportedly ran three whole laps before it decided to give up and come to a stop.

A boy named Xiao Huang reportedly won the 3,000-metre (9,800-ft) race a few minutes earlier at an astonishing speed, but it was the bird who stole the spotlight in the end.

Eyewitnesses said the emu was massive, and its wingspan was truly astonishing when spread out.

While its participation in the competition was unexpected, it garnered respect and attention from both other participants and the audience.

Despite not securing a rank, its presence was widely seen as adding a special touch to the competition.

According to Mr Pan, a teacher at the school, the emu was raised at the school and roams freely.

It often runs on the playground and is well acquainted with the teachers and pupils.

He said that it likely got excited when it saw the pupils participating in the running competition and joined in.

Many netizens praised the emu for its determination after the clip was posted on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, with some users jokingly suggesting they send it to the next Olympics.