HEAT’S ON FOR CANADA
Brown’s blazing 200 wiped out by DQ
Canadian Aaron Brown leads the pack at the turn in Monday’s 200-metre heats at the world athletics championships. The 25-year-old Brown ran a season-best time of 20.08 seconds, the second fastest of the day — until he was disqualified for stepping on the line. He was also DQ’d for a false start in the 100 at the nationals last month. At least he’s over the virus that’s hit the team so hard in London.
LONDON— 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 200metre heat in a season’s best time, three days after he’d been quarantined for the stomach virus that has slashed through the team.
Then the results flashed up on the scoreboard. Beside his name was the dreaded “DQ.” Brown was disqualified for a lane violation.
“I hope the tide’s turning,” Brown said, just a minute or two before hearing the bad news. “Brandon McBride made the final (in the men’s 800), we’ve got some other people waiting in the wings. Go Canada, we’re going to do this.”
Athletics Canada immediately appealed the disqualification, but after video review, the appeal was reject- ed. Runners are disqualified for stepping on the line.
Four days into the world championships, Canada 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 Norwalk.
The 25-year-old Brown, meanwhile, raced to a season’s best 20.08 seconds — what would have been the second fastest time on the night — and, yet to learn of his disqualification, was all smiles when he went through the media interview area.
Brown, who was 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 hotel.
“I was in my room the entire day in the dark like I was a vampire,” he said. “It hit at night, couldn’t sleep, aching stomach. Felt like the movie Alien, when they breed the alien and the thing’s running around inside. It felt like that. I was holding my stomach the entire night.”
Sage Watson of Medicine Hat, Alta., fared better than Brown on Monday, advancing to the semifinals in the women’s 400-metre hurdles. Wat- son was second in her heat in 55.06, the fifth fastest time of the night.
A few small fixes, and she believes she’s “ready to do something special,” she said.
Special, she said, would be making the final and breaking the Canadian record of 54.39, set by Rosey Edeh (now a Canadian television personality) at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Canada has four athletes in finals on Tuesday night, including Shawn Barber, the defending champion in pole vault. McBride races the 800, Matt Hughes races the 3,000-metre steeplechase, and Liz Gleadle throws the javelin.