Bolt disqualified

Usain Bolt says he will not let his disqualification from the 100m final affect him when he defends his 200m title at the World Championships.{{more}}

The world record-holder said he was “extremely disappointed” to have lost his title because of a false start.

“But I have to move on as there is no point dwelling on the past,” he added.

“I have a few days to refocus and get ready for the 200m. I know that I am now in good shape and will focus on running well in the 200m.”

Retired 400m world record holder Michael Johnson, in his Times column, said: “I’ve never false-started, and to be honest I don’t think it’s that hard to avoid one. I don’t think it’s too much to ask to wait until the gun goes before you go off.”

The current false-start rule – introduced last year by the IAAF, the body which governs world athletics – leaves athletes with no second chance should they set off before the starting pistol fires.

Running out of lane five, the 22-year-old Yohan Blake, also a Jamaican identified as a young sprinter with a huge future, kept his composure following the exit of his training partner, and clocked a personal season’s best time of 9.92 seconds to dismiss a seven-man field that included three other Caribbean sprinters.

In a statement released by his management on Monday, Bolt said: “Firstly, I would like to congratulate my team-mate Yohan Blake and the other athletes who won the medals.

“I was feeling great through the rounds and was ready to run fast in the final. I worked very hard to get ready for this championships and things were looking good.

“After this [200m competition] I have the 4x100m and a few other races before the end of the season.”

The 200m heats take place on Thursday and Friday, with the final on Saturday, while the 4x100m relay – both the heats and the final – is on Sunday, the final day of the championships. (BBC Sports)