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204071
Mon, 08/29/2011 - 05:55
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https://oananews.org//node/204071
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(Daegu Athletics) False start rule under fire after Bolt disqualification
(Daegu Athletics) False start rule under fire after Bolt disqualification
By Yoo Jee-ho
DAEGU, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- The new, stricter rule on false starts in track events has come under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons at the World Championships in Athletics here, with some big names having been victimized early by the one-and-gone rule.
Perhaps no one is bigger than Usain Bolt, the 2009 world champion in men's 100 meters, who was disqualified for a false start in the final Sunday.
The reigning Olympic champion and the world record holder, Bolt didn't just twitch at the block -- he sprinted out well ahead of the field before quickly realizing his violation.
He was later heard on television muttering to himself, "Who is it?" as though some noise had bothered him. But Yohan Blake, the eventual champion and Bolt's Jamaican teammate, said he didn't hear any particular noise that may have set off Bolt.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) tweaked the rule last year so that an athlete is disqualified after one false start. The Daegu competition is the first world championships where this change has applied.
Dwain Chambers, former European champion in the men's 100m, also got disqualified in the semis Sunday. Christine Ohuruogu, the Olympic champion in the women's 400m, suffered the same fate in her heat on Saturday.
In the past, every athlete was allowed one personal false start each, and was disqualified on a second personal false start. Since this gave eight false starts for a typical race, it provided an opening for mind games and delaying tactics by inferior runners.
It also had other drawbacks. Multiple false starts took the air out of races and frustrated broadcasters and viewers. The IAAF later tightened the rule in 2003, and the second runner to commit a false start was out, regardless of who jumped the gun for the first foul.
But that still didn't eliminate the possibility for psychological tactics. Slow starters were known to deliberately jump the gun, fully knowing that it would make the rest of the field more careful since the next false starter would get the dreaded DQ next to his or her name.
And the latest change, which was approved on a 97-55 vote, will likely remain under fire for some time after the Bolt debacle. When Bolt was gone, Sundays' race was relegated to a sideshow, as the distracted fans and journalists tried to make the sense of what had just happened.
His absence was the last thing this event needed. Usually the most spectacular show in world championships, the men's 100m here was already missing two of the year's fastest runners, Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Tyson Gay of the U.S., to injuries. Steve Mullings, No. 3 this season, was suspended after flunking a drug test.
Nick Davies, spokesman for the IAAF, said the rule is the same for everyone and it is "not the right moment to make changes." The IAAF later issued a statement -- an unusual move following an athlete's disqualification -- saying it was "disappointed" that Bolt committed the false start. But it also hinted it has no intention to alter the rule at this point.
"It is 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 IAAF's statement said. "The current false start rule??? has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2010 and all elite athletes have had the chance to adjust."
In the aftermath of the Bolt incident, top sprinters were torn on the issue. Blake and Walter Dix, the 100m silver medalist, said they didn't have problems with it. Dix pointed out that some athletes "were taking advantage" of the earlier, more lenient rules and the new standard forces athletes to bear down even more, giving them a "mental challenge."
Collins, a veteran of eight world championships who has seen the rule change twice, was a proponent of a return to the previous rule, saying athletes deserve at least one more chance at the blocks.
"I am hoping the IAAF will think about what is going on and see how the 'one false start' rule is affecting the sport, and see the pros and cons of changing it," Collins said. "I think if you give the field at least one false start, it would be better. But the athletes don't make the rules."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)
By Yoo Jee-ho
DAEGU, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- The new, stricter rule on false starts in track events has come under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons at the World Championships in Athletics here, with some big names having been victimized early by the one-and-gone rule.
Perhaps no one is bigger than Usain Bolt, the 2009 world champion in men's 100 meters, who was disqualified for a false start in the final Sunday.
The reigning Olympic champion and the world record holder, Bolt didn't just twitch at the block -- he sprinted out well ahead of the field before quickly realizing his violation.
He was later heard on television muttering to himself, "Who is it?" as though some noise had bothered him. But Yohan Blake, the eventual champion and Bolt's Jamaican teammate, said he didn't hear any particular noise that may have set off Bolt.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) tweaked the rule last year so that an athlete is disqualified after one false start. The Daegu competition is the first world championships where this change has applied.
Dwain Chambers, former European champion in the men's 100m, also got disqualified in the semis Sunday. Christine Ohuruogu, the Olympic champion in the women's 400m, suffered the same fate in her heat on Saturday.
In the past, every athlete was allowed one personal false start each, and was disqualified on a second personal false start. Since this gave eight false starts for a typical race, it provided an opening for mind games and delaying tactics by inferior runners.
It also had other drawbacks. Multiple false starts took the air out of races and frustrated broadcasters and viewers. The IAAF later tightened the rule in 2003, and the second runner to commit a false start was out, regardless of who jumped the gun for the first foul.
But that still didn't eliminate the possibility for psychological tactics. Slow starters were known to deliberately jump the gun, fully knowing that it would make the rest of the field more careful since the next false starter would get the dreaded DQ next to his or her name.
And the latest change, which was approved on a 97-55 vote, will likely remain under fire for some time after the Bolt debacle. When Bolt was gone, Sundays' race was relegated to a sideshow, as the distracted fans and journalists tried to make the sense of what had just happened.
His absence was the last thing this event needed. Usually the most spectacular show in world championships, the men's 100m here was already missing two of the year's fastest runners, Asafa Powell of Jamaica and Tyson Gay of the U.S., to injuries. Steve Mullings, No. 3 this season, was suspended after flunking a drug test.
Nick Davies, spokesman for the IAAF, said the rule is the same for everyone and it is "not the right moment to make changes." The IAAF later issued a statement -- an unusual move following an athlete's disqualification -- saying it was "disappointed" that Bolt committed the false start. But it also hinted it has no intention to alter the rule at this point.
"It is 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 IAAF's statement said. "The current false start rule??? has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2010 and all elite athletes have had the chance to adjust."
In the aftermath of the Bolt incident, top sprinters were torn on the issue. Blake and Walter Dix, the 100m silver medalist, said they didn't have problems with it. Dix pointed out that some athletes "were taking advantage" of the earlier, more lenient rules and the new standard forces athletes to bear down even more, giving them a "mental challenge."
Collins, a veteran of eight world championships who has seen the rule change twice, was a proponent of a return to the previous rule, saying athletes deserve at least one more chance at the blocks.
"I am hoping the IAAF will think about what is going on and see how the 'one false start' rule is affecting the sport, and see the pros and cons of changing it," Collins said. "I think if you give the field at least one false start, it would be better. But the athletes don't make the rules."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)
