Brown’s season-best done in by DQ
For a couple of minutes Monday night, Aaron Brown believed perhaps Canada’s luck at the world track and field championships was turning.
He’d raced to a victory in his 200-metre heat in a season-best time, three days after he’d been quarantined for a stomach virus that has slashed through the team.
Then the results flashed up on the scoreboard. Brown was disqualified for a lane violation.
Athletics Canada appealed the disqualification, but it was rejected.
Four days into the world championships, the Canadian team has lost stars Andre De Grasse and Derek Drouin to injury, and Eric Gillis dropped out 30 kilometres into the marathon three days after he’d been ill with what is believed to be the Norwalk virus.
Brown, who had been disqualified for a false start in the 100 at last month’s Canadian championships, was happy he’d recovered from the bug that has flattened athletes from several teams staying at the same central London hotel.
Dr. Paddy McCluskey had said Sunday seven Canadian athletes and team members had been ill.
Sage Watson, from Medicine Hat, advanced to the semifinals in the women’s 400-metre hurdles. Watson was second in her heat in 55.06 seconds, the fifth fastest time of the night.
Canada has four athletes in finals Tuesday night, including Shawn Barber, the defending champion in pole vault.
Brandon McBride races the 800, Matt Hughes races the 3,000-metre steeplechase and Liz Gleadle throws the javelin.
Meanwhile, Jamaican 110-metre hurdler Omar McLeod did what Usain Bolt and Elaine Thompson could not the previous nights in the 100 metres — bring a gold medal. McLeod won in 13.04 seconds. Other gold medallists Monday were Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas in the triple jump and Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk in the hammer throw. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon won the 1,500 metres.