Azu, Great Britain's star, disqualified in the 100 metres, controversy erupts: “I don’t know what rules they use”
Marcell Jacobs will face one fewer rival in the fight for the gold medal in the 100 metres at the Paris Olympics. Incredibly, Jeremiah Azu was disqualified without getting the chance to run because of an extremely low reaction time at the start of the race. A red card with no appeal,
Marcell Jacobs will face one fewer rival in the fight for the gold medal in the 100 metres at the Paris Olympics. Incredibly, Jeremiah Azu was disqualified without getting the chance to run because of an extremely low reaction time at the start of the race. A red card with no appeal, despite strong protests, to compete at least under protest while awaiting a more considered decision.
A HARSH DISQUALIFICATION
The extremely low reaction time played a cruel trick on Great Britain's star, from whom great things were expected in these heats. Along with Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson, he was one of the potential rivals who could have snatched the gold medal from Jacobs, won in Tokyo three years ago, but he was eliminated from the competition without getting the chance to compete.
For the judges, there was no doubt when they made their decision: Azu’s reaction time was 0.073, well below the 0.100 allowed by the rules. Even with the naked eye, without using replays or other instruments, it was possible to see the Briton move much earlier than everyone else, a situation that led to an automatic disqualification.
CONTROVERSY AFTER THE DECISION
As expected, Azu tried every possible way to defend himself after the judge’s decision. He asked to compete under protest, record his time and perhaps be disqualified later if the irregularity was discovered after checks. But his false start was so clear that he was given no chance to return to the track with everyone else.
On the BBC, he appeared heartbroken and explained why he had left so early: “Honestly, I reacted to a noise. It’s a shame they didn’t let me compete despite the protests. I’m not sure what rule applies. But they said I have to go back and appeal the decision, so I’ll follow the procedure and see what happens. In every other competition they let you run and then decide after they’ve reviewed it. But I don’t know, it’s the Olympics, so the rules are clearly different”.
The disappointment stems from the ambitions the Briton had for these Olympics: in May he set his personal season best, running the 100 metres in 9.97. An excellent time that would have allowed him to effectively contend for a place on the podium in Paris.
