Read the following lines and answer the question that follows by choosing the correct option :

The signal was given, the pistol exploded
And so did the runners on hearing the sound
But the youngest among them stumbled and staggered
And he fell on his knees to the ground.

He gave out a cry of frustration and anguish
His dreams and his efforts dashed in the dirt
But as sure as I'm standing here telling the story
Now it's a strange one, but here's what occurred

The eight other athletes stopped in their tracks
The ones who had trained for so long to compete
One by one they turned round and came back to help him
And lifted the lad to his feet.

That's how the race ended, with nine gold medals
They came to the finish line holding hands still
And the banner above and nine smiling faces
Said more than these words ever will
Said more than these words ever will

In the sentence - 'The signal was given, the pistol exploded and so did the runners, the underlined phrase means that the runners ________.

sprinted off

The underlined phrase "And so did the runners" in the sentence "The signal was given, the pistol exploded and so did the runners" most likely means that the runners: sprinted off.

Here's why:

• The context of the poem is a running race.
• The signal being given and the pistol exploding are both starting cues for a race.
• "So did the runners" suggests a response to the starting signal and explosion, implying an action related to the race.