12/21/24
August 28, 2011
Usain Bolt Disqualified from 100-Meter Final: A false start eliminated Usain Bolt from the 100 meters in the world championships Sunday. Bolt's world record of 9.58 seconds wasn't jeopardized by race winner Yohan Blake at 9.92. "I didn't really think they were going to kick him out," said second-place finisher Walter Dix said. "How can you kick Usain out of the race?"
Wait, when did they change it to the one and done? I always thought the one "warning" allowed and the second is a disqualification for anyone was kind of dumb as it was- but no warning or anything? It's like they actively want to remove the best runners from the race...
posted by hincandenza at 07:17 PM on August 28, 2011
Who thought it was a good idea to let a single false start decide a world championship?
Usain didn't do himself any favors by ripping his shirt off. If there was any wiggle room for the officials to allow him a restart, the shirt made that impossible by presuming he was done.
posted by rcade at 07:34 PM on August 28, 2011
Wait, when did they change it to the one and done?
Watching Sportnet (Canada), they said the One & Done has been around since 2003.
posted by tommybiden at 07:41 PM on August 28, 2011
One and done only came into effect last year; before that (in 2003), they assigned the first false start to the whole field, which meant that the second false start (even if it was a different person) resulted in a runner being tossed. Routinely, runners can protest some element they feel influenced them, but ultimately they are at the whim of the judges.
posted by dfleming at 09:08 PM on August 28, 2011
That's stupid to be disqualified for that!
posted by triplex at 12:49 AM on August 29, 2011
posted by Joey Michaels at 06:45 AM on August 29, 2011
This is the smartest thing track & field has done in years. If Bolt had beaten the world record (again, yawn), they wouldn't be getting this much press. But now, there is actually a moderately compelling narrative going into the Olympics besides "Genetically gifted freak dominates just like he always does." That was compelling in Beijing, but for London we get "Should-be champion seeks to set the record straight against The Man."
Well-played, track and Bolt. Well-played.
posted by Etrigan at 07:46 AM on August 29, 2011
That was compelling in Beijing, but for London we get "Should-be champion seeks to set the record straight against The Man."
Not so. Remember, this is also a rule during the qualifying heats, meaning Bolt could, in theory, not make the finals and the whole thing becomes 100% less compelling. A few front-runners in other distances got eliminated before the finals at the same event, which means the whole thing is a craps shoot.
Press is great and all, but you still need viewership of the event itself in order to capitalize on it.
posted by dfleming at 09:48 AM on August 29, 2011
Remember, this is also a rule during the qualifying heats, meaning Bolt could, in theory, not make the finals and the whole thing becomes 100% less compelling. A few front-runners in other distances got eliminated before the finals at the same event, which means the whole thing is a craps shoot.
The rule will undoubtedly be changed before the Olympics, in the "spirit of fairness" and all that. I wouldn't be surprised to see it go back to every runner getting one free jump, but more likely it'll be the newer version where one jump gets charged to everyone, then the second disqualifies an individual.
posted by Etrigan at 01:40 PM on August 29, 2011
The new "one and done" is a joke. I'm betting it's gone before London.