ID :
204344
Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:04
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/204344
The shortlink copeid
Bizarre happenings on track haunt championships
By Yoo Jee-ho
DAEGU, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- First there was the false start that booted a leading contender. Then an obstruction violation in hurdles took away the gold.
Throw in a pair of broken poles in pole vault and this year's World Championships in Athletics here has been eventful, if not downright bizarre.
After three full days, two world-record holders have been disqualified in their track events. On Monday, Dayron Robles of Cuba was stripped of his gold in the men's 110-節?eter hurdles for making contact with rival Liu Xiang of China over the final hurdles.
It followed the false start by Usain Bolt of Jamaica in the men's 100 節?eters Sunday. He jumped the gun by such a wide margin that he and virtually every one of the nearly 40,000 fans at Daegu Stadium knew what he had done immediately after the second gun was fired to indicate a false start.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) introduced the new one-and-gone false start rule last year, and this is the first world championships where the change is being applied. The rule may soon come under review, but the IAAF has hinted it isn't about to change the rule because of one athlete -- albeit a big star -- since all athletes have had time to adjust.
But there was little debate about Robles' contact and the rule that disqualified him. Cuba's counter-appeal was promptly dismissed, and those left standing said they will take the rules as they come.
"I wish that under different circumstances, (Robles) could have kept his medal," said Jason Richardson, who came in second place before being declared the winner. "But rules are rules."
Liu said he was sorry about Robles' loss, especially since they are friends, but added it's all part of the game.
"It happens all the time in the competitions," Liu said. "I am OK with everything that happened today."
It may not be an unusual occurrence in Liu's mind, but spectators were hungry after the fizzling of the men's 100 meters -- usually the marquee event at major athletics events. And with the 110-meter hurdles having the three fastest hurdlers in history -- Robles, Liu and David Oliver of the U.S., the race had all the makings of the most spectacular show on the track here.
But as did the 100 meters, the hurdles contest closed on an anticlimactic note. With fans and media clamoring for reactions from Bolt and Robles, other exciting events have been put on the back burner.
Men's pole vault was one of them on Monday. The gold medal came down to the wire, with Pawel Wojciechowski of Poland edging out Lazaro Borges of Cuba.
But even this event wasn't free from some strange turns of events.
Russian Dmitry Starodubtsev snapped his pole as he tried to jump 5.75 meters and flew into the mat. Then Jan Kudlicka of Czech Republic also broke his pole as he was trying to clear the same height.
Perhaps these odd events should have been expected after an inauspicious beginning.
Officials botched the starting at the championships' very first event, the women's marathon, on Saturday. They failed to coordinate the ringing of the ceremonial bell with the actual starting gun. Some runners charged out at the sound of the bell and returned to the starting line when an official stopped them. But then the starting gun went off on their way back, prompting some to turn back toward the course.
Kenya's Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat won the championships' first gold medal mostly without incident. But she still fell to the ground after tripping over her teammate Sharon Cherop at a drinking station late in the race.
DAEGU, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- First there was the false start that booted a leading contender. Then an obstruction violation in hurdles took away the gold.
Throw in a pair of broken poles in pole vault and this year's World Championships in Athletics here has been eventful, if not downright bizarre.
After three full days, two world-record holders have been disqualified in their track events. On Monday, Dayron Robles of Cuba was stripped of his gold in the men's 110-節?eter hurdles for making contact with rival Liu Xiang of China over the final hurdles.
It followed the false start by Usain Bolt of Jamaica in the men's 100 節?eters Sunday. He jumped the gun by such a wide margin that he and virtually every one of the nearly 40,000 fans at Daegu Stadium knew what he had done immediately after the second gun was fired to indicate a false start.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) introduced the new one-and-gone false start rule last year, and this is the first world championships where the change is being applied. The rule may soon come under review, but the IAAF has hinted it isn't about to change the rule because of one athlete -- albeit a big star -- since all athletes have had time to adjust.
But there was little debate about Robles' contact and the rule that disqualified him. Cuba's counter-appeal was promptly dismissed, and those left standing said they will take the rules as they come.
"I wish that under different circumstances, (Robles) could have kept his medal," said Jason Richardson, who came in second place before being declared the winner. "But rules are rules."
Liu said he was sorry about Robles' loss, especially since they are friends, but added it's all part of the game.
"It happens all the time in the competitions," Liu said. "I am OK with everything that happened today."
It may not be an unusual occurrence in Liu's mind, but spectators were hungry after the fizzling of the men's 100 meters -- usually the marquee event at major athletics events. And with the 110-meter hurdles having the three fastest hurdlers in history -- Robles, Liu and David Oliver of the U.S., the race had all the makings of the most spectacular show on the track here.
But as did the 100 meters, the hurdles contest closed on an anticlimactic note. With fans and media clamoring for reactions from Bolt and Robles, other exciting events have been put on the back burner.
Men's pole vault was one of them on Monday. The gold medal came down to the wire, with Pawel Wojciechowski of Poland edging out Lazaro Borges of Cuba.
But even this event wasn't free from some strange turns of events.
Russian Dmitry Starodubtsev snapped his pole as he tried to jump 5.75 meters and flew into the mat. Then Jan Kudlicka of Czech Republic also broke his pole as he was trying to clear the same height.
Perhaps these odd events should have been expected after an inauspicious beginning.
Officials botched the starting at the championships' very first event, the women's marathon, on Saturday. They failed to coordinate the ringing of the ceremonial bell with the actual starting gun. Some runners charged out at the sound of the bell and returned to the starting line when an official stopped them. But then the starting gun went off on their way back, prompting some to turn back toward the course.
Kenya's Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat won the championships' first gold medal mostly without incident. But she still fell to the ground after tripping over her teammate Sharon Cherop at a drinking station late in the race.
