The 100m Mistake

Sprinting is all about milliseconds, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to records or podium finishes. This past weekend in Korea at the World Track and Field Championship, Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man and biggest draw in track, was disqualified in the 100m finals after just one false start where he jumped out of the blocks a fraction before the gun. One mistake is all it takes to get disqualified under the new rules of the 100-meter sprint, and Bolt’s error cost those who spent hundreds of dollars to be in the stadium, as well as the countless people watching at home, a chance to witness greatness - all for the sake of television programming.

Usain Bolt exits early from the 100m finals

The idea for the ‘zero-tolerance’ with starts is partially due to the fact that TV executives didn’t like excessive false starts forcing their program to go over the allotted network time slot. Each false start forces the run-time to take an extra few minutes for the runners to get set back in the starting blocks. Imagine three or four false starts from different runners, and the program might run over the TV schedule by 10-15 minutes. The new rule forced the runners to be completely disciplined in their blocks for the penalty of disqualification is too great. After this weekend, we know see clearly that the penalty is too much.

The punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Imagine training for a lifetime for a moment at the World Championship – adrenaline is running high, nerves are higher, the stadium is packed, cameras are all focused on the start. Then, a little jump and everything that he has worked so hard for is gone in a heartbeat. Such a fate would be crushing for any runner, but the fact that it happened to Bolt is what crushed the hope of fans at the stadium and around the world.

Usain Bolt would have won the Gold medal. All his fellow runners had no doubt about that – only one runner finished in less than 10 seconds. What Bolt wanted to do was amaze us by running a new World Record time. Something the whole world would talk about, maybe forever. His own world record of 9.58(!) from 2009 would never be easy to beat, but he wanted to amaze us once more. Instead, after jumping the block a fraction of a second early, he was forced to watch from the sidelines.

Yohan Blake (9.92) is the 100m Champion

While the rule is equal in applying to all runners, it is not fair, and fans of the sport know it’s not right. How do you think Yohan Blake feels? Blake, a fellow Jamaican, won the Gold medal with a 9.92 time, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone talking about him. Victory shouldn’t be this bittersweet.

The race lasts less than 10 seconds itself. The buildup doesn’t take more than a few minutes. The TV producers would do well to allot a few more minutes for the most exciting 10 seconds in sport, even at the cost of potential false starts increasing the run-time, for the sake of building up the tension, the excitement, and the chance for these athletes to amaze us.

aa.