The day Bolt went a little too fast

HE HAS redefined the parameters of his sport and mankind’s physical limits. But amid shocked gasps from the mortals looking on, Usain Bolt has shown he too is human after all.

The Jamaican sprinter, regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time, was yesterday disqualified from his signature event after making a false start.

The triple Olympic champion, who had been widely expected to conquer all before him at the 100 metres final of the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, burst from his blocks well before the gun.

After it emerged he would play no further part in the competition, the 25-year-old ripped off his vest in frustration and was led disconsolately from the track.

Gritting his teeth, he threw up his arms in desperation, before hitting the blue stadium wall as spectators looked on aghast.

Bolt has dominated the 100 metres for three years. He famously stormed to the 100 metres and 200 metres sprint double in world record times at the 2008 Olympics, only to repeat the feat the following year in Rome, setting new records of 9.58 and 19.19 seconds respectively.

In the aftermath of yesterday’s disqualification, a clearly upset Bolt was in no mood to talk and his usual easygoing countenance was nowhere to be seen.

He told reporters: “Looking for tears? Not going to happen.”

With the undoubted star of world athletics banned from the race, the gold medal went to his 21-year-old fellow Jamaican and training partner, Yohan Blake, with a time of 9.92 seconds. American Walter Dix took silver and Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis came third.

Some of Bolt’s competitors, however, shared the crowd’s sense of shock that the world’s fastest man was not on the track.

“I couldn’t believe it, it’s kind of surreal, I didn’t really think they were going to kick him out,” Dix admitted. “How can you kick Usain out of the race?”

Collins, meanwhile, lamented Bolt’s disqualification despite his own success.

“As much as I wanted to be on the podium, tonight is a sad night for athletics,” he said.

Bolt’s startling disqualification was the result of new rules introduced last year by the International Association of Athletics Federations, the sport’s governing body.

Previously, athletes had been allowed one false start before being disqualified for a second, but the “one strike and you’re out” rule came into effect for the start of the 2010 season.

It is a change that has been widely criticised by athletes themselves.

Last year, former world champion Tyson Gay made prescient comments about the harsh nature of the ruling, which could eliminate even the best sprinters for making simple human errors.

He said: “I don’t like it one bit. If it happened at the Olympics or World Championships next year – without Usain Bolt the race is going to have an asterisk to the side. It just doesn’t make sense.”

While Bolt’s failure to defend his title has been widely bemoaned by athletics enthusiasts, bookmakers were breathing a sigh of relief.

Such is the Jamaican’s dominance of his sport, Ladbrokes were offering odds on him to win of 1-20.

With the sprinter set to compete in the 200m, the same short odds are in place, but the firm is now offering 14-1 that he makes another false start.

Alex Donohue, a Ladbrokes spokesman, said: “Bolt was quite rightly backed like defeat wasn’t an option.

“It’s saved us a few quid but we can’t help but feel like we got a lucky break.

“He’s a similarly short price to atone for defeat in the 200m.

“We’d be shocked if there was another false start, but expect to see a few quid [bet] for it nonetheless.”