My initial reaction after watching was one of extreme disappointment. Instantly I thought, “Damn the current false start rule.” But as I’ve thought about it over the day, it is the current rule and has been for a a little while now. In sports, a rule is a rule. This is not a subjective matter either: You’re out if you move before the gun goes off. The winner of the race is the guy who gets to the line first, provided that he starts at some point after the gun. That’s that. This isn’t like American Football where there are various degrees of pass interference, holding, and unnecessary roughness. This is cut and dry. While it’s extremely unfortunate that the fastest human in the world’s history did not race, he did get a chance, and he himself messed that up. I am not happy that Bolt got DQ’d; I feel for any athlete who has put in the time and work to be at the top of their game. But I am happy to see that the officials of track and field gave no special treatment to an athlete – even one who is the fastest man in the world. While some may say that this is a low point for the sport, I’ve found the silver lining (at least for myself) in that the rules of competition were put ahead of an individual. If the fallout of today’s event results in a change in the rule, I fear that one could interpret it as an athlete being put ahead of the sport. Today’s 100m final was not created simply for Usain Bolt; it was created to pit the world’s 8 fastest men against each other in a race. Bolt qualified and therefore had a chance to win. He false started and was disqualified on a clear-cut rule. The men lined up again. Yohan Blake won the race and is the 2011 World Champion in the 100m.
I don’t know if I never payed attention to this before and some sprinters have always been doing it, but it really caught my attention how far up to blocks Blake placed his feet, like an inch and a half or two inches above the ground. I believe I also noticed another sprinter placing his feet this far up, or maybe it was him in the heats. Is this recommendable at all? I assume the goal is to create and even deeper initial angle … but I’d be scared of the blocks flying out of place, even more with an athlete with Blake’s mass and strength.
Block pedals are bigger.
Ato Bolden predicted something like this needing to happen in order to serve as a catalyst to get the rule tossed.
As soon as the rule went into action last year I thought it was a joke. Of all reasons to be disqualified from a competition the powers that be decide to direct their focus to what amounts to a tactical error. What’s next:will NFL players be kicked out of a game for jumping off-sides, will MLB players be kicked out of a game for getting caught base steeling… it’s completely absurd.
I state this because more than one source has stated that the reason the rule was created in the first place was to relieve big television from the apparent “agony” of waiting for the field to reset after a false start and lengthening the air time.
As I stated in another thread regarding Ohuruogu, it’s ridiculous to jump on a race that is not decided by the start. The 100m, on the other hand, very well may be and the start plays a decidedly significant factor in the race outcome. In any case, I sure hope the rule gets tossed for all events.
This is pretty interesting. The first video isn’t clear, and the guy rambles on much too long. Watch the second video to see the apparent flinch by Blake. It happens 15 seconds into the video.
The 2nd video in that link is much clearer. Agreed this is an interesting development. Had Bolt raced under protest perhaps this video could have vindicated him. Bolt did not claim he was reacting to a flinch by Blake, and perhaps that is the reason he did not ask to run.
Bolt may just have reacted unconsciously (sub-consciously?) to the Blake Shake or to a noise in the crowd because the Koreans don’t shut up like more educated track crowds before a start.
I hate the no-break rule. It’s a disaster for everyone. Now it’s also a disaster for TV. Its those bastards who forced this time-expedient rule into being. Now they killed the goose who laid the golden egg. Rules should be sensible and should be for the greater benefit. This rule stinks. I preferred the one-break and a caution to the field approach in plaxce prior to last year. It wasn’t perfect but it allowed a nerve settler. These guys and girls are on a hair-trigger. Give them a break!
How about people who still think it was staged? For sure you’ll find another reason. Blake should have been disqualified but simply officials didn’t notice that flinch and I don’t blame them b/c they are not computers. Sorry but Blake is not a real champion
But in both of those cases the player/team is penalized (5 yards or an out, respectively). How do you penalize a track start? Move the start line back one or two meters per false start?
Without a penalty the multiple false start rule is a no-lose scenario to take a guess at the gun, guess correctly and you get a great start or get caught and run again against concentration shaken athletes.
Swimming has had a no second chance rule for ages.
If a starter can be timed and guestimated they are there because he/she is part of a group.
I saw the marathon shamozzle, I thought Richard Batterly was back.
Don’t change the rule change the official.
Any coach that endoses guestimation is a dick.
the starting blocks are sensored and if a person FS a sound alerts the starter and this has been the case for years. its all computerised and basically fool proof. the fact that bolt didnt protest is incredible! you guys can say what you like about the korean crowd- dont forget these guys ran 2/3 rounds to get to the final and with 35000 fans during the 100m final-it wasnt exactly packed!!! alot of empty seats throughout the WCs…
*****how did ben do it in 88 soeul final. do BS there and when he did jump in the semi what did he do? did he rip off his shirt and hide…he protested which any normal person would do
Thank gawd the women reestablished some respect for the 100m. Great race IMO.
take a look at how high asafa places his feet. I noticed about 5 years ago
Dayron Robles -DQ… What’s the deal with Oliver?
Yeah… if not that rule, maybe today we would have a new world record.
I agree. This rule was put in place for tv. This has nothing to do with making the sport safer. Shit it has nothing to do with the athletes at all. Shit the rule didnt work at prefontaine. When they finally ran the race we didnt event get a replay. They cut it off to show the pre event of a horse race. the actual race didnt start for 2 hours. If they are worried about tv then show only the last 3 to 4 laps of the 10k and steeple. something knowone cares about. dont fuck up your marquee event. fucking idiots
The three Jamaican women had the three slowest reaction times in the 100m final. In fact, the difference between Jeter and Campbell-Brown (0.07s) was (almost) entirely due to Jeter’s faster reaction to the gun. Bolt’s disqualification didn’t cost Jamaica their men’s 100m gold medal, but did it cost them the women’s?
Likewise, Fraser-Price lost the battle for bronze not on the track but in the blocks.
Ok so Blake twitched, Bolt broke early, and Bailey also broke early. Weird start.
+1 …
I agree. Could it be because the amount of money and the sponsors who pressure athletes to win be the cause?