British sprinter Jeremiah Azu suffered a heartbreaking disqualification from the Olympic men’s 100m after a costly false start.
The 23-year-old lined up in the opening heat of the blue-riband event but his competition was effectively over before it even started.
Permitted just one false start under a rule that was brought in by World Athletics at the start of 2023, Azu appeared to have little room for complaint after he left his blocks before the starter’s pistol sounded.
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Azu attempted to argue his case but was eventually forced to depart the arena having been led away by a steward.
‘Honestly, I just reacted to a sound,’ said Azu before confirming he would appeal the decision. ‘It’s a shame. The crowd are so excited and the French fans are here.
“It’s a shame that they didn’t let me run at the protest – I’m not sure what rules are being used but they have said I need to go back and put an appeal in so I’m going to go through the process and see what happens.
‘I was saying I wanted to run with the protest. In any other race, they allow you to run and then they review it but this is the Olympics and clearly it’s different rules.
‘I just want to put in this appeal as quickly as possible so that I can come back out here and get into the semi-final.’
There was better news for Azu’s compatriot Louie Hinchliffe who stormed to victory in 9.98 seconds ahead of the reigning world champion Noah Lyles.
‘I had to get my game back from London so it felt great but the job’s not done,’ said Hinchcliffe, I don’t want to get too ahead of myself.
‘I drove out hard, push, stay relaxed and trust my race.
‘I don’t really think much about the time. I just try and execute my race.
‘It’s been great so far.’
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