Usain Bolt disqualified from World Championships in Daegu

It had to happen.  A big athlete is disqualified from the finals of a major track and field event.

Usain Bolt has now false started in the men’s 100m finals at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea and won’t be able to defend his 2009 title.      

For better or worse Bolt’s elimination from the 100m finals might cause the IAAF to reevaluate its one false start rule. 

It was such a disappointment to watch Bolt strip his shirt off his back knowing he was out of the race.  His leaving the race seemed to be the end in one long travesty in the marquee event.  The missing faces of Tyson Gay, Steve Mullings, Michael Rogers and Asafa Powell already diminished to race to me. 

An easy win is sometimes not the best win.  Although I assumed Bolt would win the race without much, effort I wanted there to be athletes to make him run his best race -- athletes who wanted to be champion just as bad as him. 

Now Bolt’s elimination brings the one start false rule before the IAAF officials.  Clearly he had a lot of thoughts going through his mind while at the line, but how thoroughly should he, and others who false start, be penalized for them is now the question.

It seems the rule makers want athletes to deliver faster times, without the help of steroids, and to run the biggest race of their lives without nerves. 

I did like how Bolt took the disqualification though.  He didn’t complain or petition the officials but quickly left the track so the other athletes could race.   

Although he's not the 100m champion, if he successfully defends his 200m title the win might still help to make him the legend he has said he wants to be.  

Yohan Blake, has now legitimized himself as a true Jamaican champion.  The absence of his training partner, Bolt, a lane from him didn’t frazzle Blake.  Instead, when he rose to his top speed he ran with everything and beat American Walter Dix and Kittitian Kim Collins.  

Blake’s win should not be diminished because of Bolt’s false start.  Instead, he rose to the occasion and ran his race to be champion.  That can never be taken from him.