DAEGU, South Korea, August 28- World governing body IAAF expressed disappointment with the shocking exit of record holder Usain Bolt from the men 100m final in Daegu but insisted rules applied to all athletes.
“While the IAAF is, of course, disappointed that Usain Bolt false-started in the final of the 100m, it is also important to remember that a sport’s credibility depends on its rules, and they must also be applied consistently and fairly for all athletes,” the statement read.
“The current false start rule been in effect since January 1 2010, and all elite athletes have had the chance to adjust. In extraordinary cases, the IAAF Council has the right to make interim chances to Technical Rules, pending approval by IAAF Congress,” it added.
The announcement that the brief had been placed at the pigeon holes at the Main Press Centre caused a rush by international reporters to get their hands on it as the effects of the anticlimax to Day 2 of the championships continued to command global debate.
Bolt, the unrivalled star of the biennial meet caused all jaws to drop at the Daegu Sports Stadium when with the globe awaiting his next act; he clearly jumped the gun to end his title defence at the blocks.
“I have nothing to say right now. I need some time,” Bolt told IAAF and when asked about his defence of his 200m title, he replied, “How will I go? It’s on Friday right? Then we’ll have to see on Friday.”
He was whisked away to the Athletes’ Village by a car as the world stopped to soak in the consternation, with his exit dominating internet chat rooms and becoming a trending topic on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
The cyber world went hammer and tongs for the false start rule, with some tweets such as, “This false start rule is too strict,” from Copper_Soul Angoleiro Eu Sou and “Usain Bolt’s DQ proof that track & field’s false-start rule needs to go | Universal Sports,” posted by ‘jaws 12345’ among the hundreds of thousands calling for a review of the rules.
IAAF adopted the standing false start rule at the 47th Congress in Berlin with an approval of 95 to 55 votes which was a modification of a similar addict put in place at the 2003 Edmonton event where one false start per race was permissible.
Paraded as the headline act of the biennial global track and field jamboree, Bolt has once again commanded the limelight although not in the fashion he would have wished as the governing body of the sport was compelled to clarify the issue of it rules.
The Jamaican triple sprint record holder also false started at the semis of the Berlin Worlds before going on to add three world titles, 100m, 200m and 4X100m relay, breaking his own world records in the first two events to his Olympics haul from Beijing.
– Mutwiri Mutuota is reporting for Capital Sport from Daegu, South Korea
