Heat on as sprinters fail during race gone awry

EVERY runner, including the world’s fastest man this year, was disqualified in a bizarre 400m heat that made athletics history on the second day of the world indoor championships in Birmingham yesterday.

Bralon Taplin was among the casualties after appearing to qualify for the semifinals later yesterday by winning the third heat comfortably in 46.37sec.

But the Grenadan was ruled to have run out of his lane, along with the other three finishers, Jamaica’s Steven Gayle, Latvia’s Austris Karpinskis and Alonzo Russell from the Bahamas.

Another runner, Qatar’s Abdalelah Haroun, was earlier red-carded for false starting in the same heat.

It is the first time every athlete has been disqualified from a heat at a major championships, according to statistician Mark Butler.

All decisions were subject to appeal.

There was no such drama in the final heat when Pavel Maslak eased though, qualifying behind Spain’s Oscar Husillos as the Czech indoor specialist attempts to become the first three-time 400m champion at the event.

In the women’s 400m, Americans Courtney Okolo (51.54) and Shakima Wimbley (52.43) both qualified comfortably, along with Switzerland’s Lea Sprunger (52.46), who is expected to be their main rival.

Double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson also eased through to the later stages of the 60m, posting 7.20 to finish behind Marie-Josee Ta Lou from the Ivory Coast, who continued her recent good form to win the heat in 7.17.

Thompson, who won bronze at the 2016 indoor world championships but has yet to replicate her best form of last year, appeared composed in making it through in what is shaping up to be one of the championship’s most hotly contested events.

France’s Carolle Zahe posted the fastest time of 7.11 in winning Heat Four. — Reuters