Caught in the storm
Van Niekerk win soured by Makwala controversy
WE will never know if Isaac Makwala could have denied Wayde van Niekerk his second world title in the 400metres.
Van Niekerk was drawn in lane six last night, Makwala in lane seven, but the Botswanan who posed the greatest threat to the Olympic champion and world record-holder was not allowed to run. He wasn’t even allowed into the stadium.
His lane remained empty for the men’s final and for Lord Coe and the IAAF council this was yet another PR disaster, alongside the drug cheat who won the 100m and the woman who they want to take potentially debilitating medication securing a medal ahead of Laura Muir.
Last night there were even accusations of foul play, with Makwala crying ‘sabotage’ after being blocked from entering the stadium and BBC commentator Michael Johnson suggesting there might have been a conspiracy to guarantee the new golden boy of athletics his title.
In fairness to the global governing body, Makwala had been unable to contest the 200m heats the previous day after vomiting in the stadium medical room, the symptoms mirroring the many athletes who have fallen victim here in London to an outbreak of gastroenteritis. But an IAAF medical representative said the decision to withdraw Makwala had been based on an ‘assumption’ he had the norovirus because of his symptoms and that appeared to be the cause of some confusion.
Dr Pam Venning, head of IAAF medical services, told the BBC: ‘The athlete came into the medical centre of his own accord and was seen by one of our volunteer doctors and examined. When told he had a gastrointestinal disease he tried to leave but one of my other senior members of staff brought him back in because we have an outbreak of gastroenteritis in the hotels and it is highly infectious.
‘He had symptoms similar to all the other athletes classified as having this gastrointestinal disease.’
While the IAAF said it was ‘a sad case’, there was a need ‘to follow process for the health and wellbeing of all athletes’. But Makwala said he was ‘ready to run’ only for officials to block his path.
He also insisted he was not that sick, had told medical officials as much and had presented a certificate. ‘I am heartbroken. I feel like it is sabotage. I’m not sure if it is the IAAF or the British. I am feeling good to run tonight.’ He later blamed the British Government.
It was a terrible shame given here was the only athlete to have run under 20sec and 44sec in the 200m and 400m on the same night, in races earlier this season less than two-and-a-half hours apart.
Johnson was unimpressed. ‘This is going to be one of those situations where IAAF are going to realise they have got it horribly wrong, either by disqualifying the athlete unnecessarily or by not communicating to him or the Botswanan team about why they have disqualified him and what the procedures were,’ he said. ‘Does this apply to all athletes. What is the criteria? If you collapse you are okay but if you vomit you are not? It doesn’t appear any guidelines were issued to him about coming into contact with other people. ‘The elephant in the room is that Wayde van Niekerk is an IAAF favourite, a fan favourite, he’s a favourite of everyone. He’s the world record-holder, champion, the Olympic champion. And now the only person, that was his challenger... Isaac Makwala, who was going to double as well, who has the fastest time in the world this year, 19.74 for 200m, and the second fastest time in the world this year for 400m. ‘And now he has been pulled out of both these races. Conspiracy theories are going round. Who is behind this?’ Paula Radcliffe, a member of the IAAF athletes’ commission, said the American was making ‘a pretty strong allegation’. The IAAF would no doubt agree. They will also refer, no doubt, to previous statements from Public Health England.
Johnson may have been right about a lack of communication. Falcon Sedimo, chief of the Botswana Athletics Federation, complained that ‘we don’t have any official communication from the IAAF’.
‘There has been no formal communication other than the medical communication,’ he said. ‘I met with Isaac this morning and this afternoon and he was ready for his race. He only has one symptom of the norovirus.
‘He has been waiting years to perform here. He has not been asked to be quarantined from other athletes in the hotel but he is not able to enter the stadium tonight.’
Having won in 43.98 when easing down over the last 20 or so metres, Van Niekerk expressed his ‘sympathy’ for Makwala. ‘I wish I could give him my medal,’ he said.