'World's sexiest athlete' Alica Schmidt and fellow German track star Michelle Janiak run from the sea after spotting a thief stealing their stuff from the beach… but it is a VERY surprising 'crook'

This is the moment the stunning track and field stars Alicia Schmidt and Michelle Janiak were forced to run from the sea after spotting a surprising thief stealing their things from the beach.

The sporty German duo were cooling off in the water while taking a swim in Kogel Bay, off the coast of South Africa.

Before entering the water Schmidt, 25, who has been dubbed the 'world's sexiest athlete', is seen filming herself in a white dress and sunglasses as she laughs alongside Janiak while they walk through the water on a secluded beach.

As the pair step though the lapping water in their flipflops, Schmidt pans the camera, giving viewers a glimpse of her incredible surroundings.

Vast mountain ranges and lush green hills can be seen surrounding the idyllic beach - but the running pair's relaxing getaway was not going to last much longer.

Alicia Schmidt and Michelle Janiak were seen holidaying in South Africa before they encountered an unexpected thief

The German runners headed into the water, showing off their stunning figures in summery bikinis

They quickly noticed something suspicious over by the camera they had set up and came running back from the sea

Footage showed the athletes yelling as they spotted some of their snacks being stolen

The wholesome footage then cuts to a shot of the backs of the athletes as they run bikini-clad into the open water.

Schmidt dons a green thong bikini while Janiak shows off her incredible figure in a blue swim piece.

With the breeze blowing through their blonde locks and the ocean waves crashing around their legs, the friends splash each other playfully until they notice something suspicious by the camera.

The pair both turn to face the camera with stunned expressions on their face before they come running back towards their belongings.

Jumping over the ripples of the water the women attempt to sprint back and can be heard yelling as they make it back onto the sand.

With just their legs in shot of the camera, they leap forward before the footage cuts to a surprising 'crook' holding something that doesn't belong to them.

Perched high up on a rocky boulder is a brown baboon, holding what appears to be a red packet of crisps.

Schmidt zooms in to the primate munching on the snacks that it has treated itself to, straight out of the runner's bag.

The hairy thief can be seen using its nimble fingers to pluck out the food before cheekily eating it without a care in the world.

The thief was a cheeky baboon who munched on the runners' food while perched on a rocky boulder

Schmidt competes during 400m events with the German athletics team and was part of the group that travelled to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Schmidt shared the hilarious footage on her TikTok, where she boasts a staggering two million followers.

The athlete, who has been dubbed the 'world's sexiest athlete', also has a huge five million followers on Instagram where she regularly posts pictures and clips of her preparing for races and track events.

She competes for her country in 400m events and was part of the German relay squad that travelled to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 - though she did not compete. 

Janiak, 26, also runs for Germany and is a one-time National Champion and one-time National Indoor Champion.

The thieving baboon incident comes after Schmidt last month revealed how she rejected a huge sponsorship deal running up to 'high six figures' because she 'didn't feel comfortable'.

She is a representative of Hugo Boss but claimed last year her main salary comes from German sports foundation Sporthilfe, which pays her just £600 (€700) a month - and only because she competes for her national team, according to Bild.

But despite that modest base salary, Schmidt hspoke out about turning down the lucrative endorsement from a 'well known' company, saying she has to be '100 per cent behind' a brand before signing up to it.

She said: 'Two months ago I received an offer from a well-known brand. But I wasn't 100 per cent behind it. I don't feel comfortable with that. That would have been in the mid to high six figures for a campaign.' 

Schmidt has previously spoken about the struggles of an athlete to generate regular income, saying the money that she is paid for competing in competitions is not enough for her to live on. 

'In principle, I have to say that it is not easy for most German track and field athletes to make a living from sport,' she told the German publication.