Usain Bolt, the three-time World and Olympic gold medalist, World (9.58sec) and Olympic record holder in the 100meters, false started. This reaction saw him disqualified from the men's 100m final at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
Why?
The conspiracy theories have started. Some suggest it was a "twitch" from another competitor. With each athlete like a bullet in a gun, ready to explode out of the starting blocks, any movement from the field can causes an reaction – in this case a false start. But this should be no excuse for one of the most professional athletes on the planet. Former World Championship Gold Medallist Ato Boldon has Twittered, "Yohan Blake flinched but no excuses for Bolt. Gotta focus on ur lane"
Rules
IAAF rules state clearly that competitors must not move once in the starting blocks. If they do, it is a false start and they incur immediate disqualification.
Maurice Greene, former world record holder (9.79sec) now media commentator, says he does not like the false start rule – never has. "Something has to be done," he cries. The countdown is on to see if the IAAF changes the rule before next year's Olympics, or whether the publicity they gain is worth its weight in Olympic golds.
The Race: What happened?
But there was a race apart from the false start. One man who is lost in the controversy is the actual 2011 World 100m Champion, Yohan Blake, from Jamaica (9.92). Blake trains with Bolt and has been progressing nicely, having dropped his times from 10.33 in 2006 to 9.89 in 2010. Blake may be overshadowed by the Bolt false start now, but next year at the Olympics there will be no place to hide from the pressure of being World Champion.
The Final Word
But the final word on the whole issue comes from Bolt himself, who refused to offer excuses.
"Looking for tears? Not gonna happen," he said. Looks like it is time to move on towards London 2012.
