Usain Bolt disqualified in World 100m final

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

bit of a harsh ruling

 

one false start? Why change it? Seems way too harsh

 

Usain Bolt was sensationally disqualifed for a false start in the World Championships 100m final in Daegu leaving his fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake take the gold medal in 9.93sec. The American Walter Dix won silver in 10.08, with the 35-year-old Kim Collins, from St Kitts and Nevis, taking bronze in 10.09.

 

But the abiding image was of Bolt ripping his shirt off in frustration after being disqualified — the victim of the new false-start rule, introduced in 2010, that automatically expels the first person to false start — and pounding his hands against a blue wall behind the start line. Previously athletes had been allowed one false start for the field before the next one was disqualified.

 

Despite the reaction to his disqualification, Bolt was sanguine when speaking to reporters later. "Looking for tears?," he said. "That's not going to happen."

 

Bolt could only watch from the sidelines as his 21-year-old training partner Blake, who did not compete in the 2009 World Championships in Berlin after testing positive for the stimulant methylhexanamine, won a comfortable victory into a headwind of 1.4m.

 

"I can't find words to explain it," said Blake. "I have been praying for this moment. Collins made a great start but I knew I could catch him."

 

Meanwhile Dix, who finished second, admitted: "I couldn't believe it, it's kind of surreal. I didn't think they were going to kick him out. It's pretty hard to kick Usain out of the race."

 

Blake had been the quickest qualifier from the semi-finals, clocking 9.95 in the race in which Dwain Chambers was disqualified for a false start. But Bolt had looked in ominously good form in his semi-final, running 10.05 despite easing down for the last 40m.

 

However he ended up becoming a victim of rule 162.7, which states that "An athlete, after assuming a full and final set position, shall not commence his start until after receiving the report of the gun. If, in the judgment of the starter or recallers, he does so any earlier, it shall be deemed a false start. Except in combined events, any athlete responsible for a false start shall be disqualified."

 

Last year another of Bolt's rivals, Tyson Gay — absent from today's race after getting injured before the US trials — had criticised the false-start rules, claiming: "If it happened [to Usain Bolt] at the Olympics or World Championships – without Usain Bolt the race is going to have an asterisk to the side. It just doesn't make sense. If it is not changed, it will hurt our sport."

 

Some will argue that today's events only served to prove him right.

[RP]

This post is not viewable to guests.

You can sign in to your account at the login page here

If you do not have an account then you can register here

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

This post is not viewable to guests.

You can sign in to your account at the login page here

If you do not have an account then you can register here

[muleskinner]

This post is not viewable to guests.

You can sign in to your account at the login page here

If you do not have an account then you can register here

[RP]

This post is not viewable to guests.

You can sign in to your account at the login page here

If you do not have an account then you can register here

[kop205]

This post is not viewable to guests.

You can sign in to your account at the login page here

If you do not have an account then you can register here