Athletics fans fume over world championships 'disgrace'
American sensation Devon Allen has been left shattered after a controversial disqualification wrecked his dreams at the world athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon.
An NFL hopeful with the Philadelphia Eagles, Allen suffered the cruellest of heartbreaks in the 110m hurdles after being disqualified for jumping the start by just one thousandth of a second.
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Runners aren't permitted to start within .1 second of the starting gun sounding. Allen was detected as reacting at 0.099, meaning he was disqualified by .001 second.
A digital starting block - rather than a human judge - detected the infraction which was essentially undetectable by the human eye.
When informed of the disqualification, Allen pleaded his case with multiple race officials but was not permitted to run the race under protest.
Instead of the originally slated eight finalists, the race eventually started with six runners after reigning Olympic champion Hansle Parchment of Jamaica was also forced out because of a leg injury in the warm-ups.
It was the disqualification of Allen that caused the biggest stir though, with boos echoing from the stands.
Athletics fans also vented their anger and disappointment over the ruling, on social media.
Devon Allen SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED.
He didn’t jump the gun.
He didn’t flinch.
He got punished for being TOO FAST.
Watch for yourself.
pic.twitter.com/03xd3S3JHm— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 18, 2022
Devon Allen getting DQ in these conditions and this setting is a disgrace
— just ice (@dj_jayslay) July 18, 2022
If I weren’t a track and field enthusiast, and I just happened to tune into the world championships, I would have just changed the channel after watching what just happened to Devon Allen. What an embarrassment to the sport.
— Gray Horn (@HornAthletics) July 18, 2022
Devon Allen was robbed of a once in lifetime opportunity. Disgraceful ruling by IAAF. .001 reaction?!?
— trevor dunbar (@DunbarTrevor) July 18, 2022
Really need to bite my tongue about some the people that craft the rules and policies for track and field. What happened to Devon Allen tonight skewers the growth of the sport and not a single right minded person agrees this should be a rule. Just terrible.
— Jordan Kent (@jordanrkent) July 18, 2022
GET RID OF THE BLOCK SENSORS!
If you start after the gun, you should be able to go. Period.
Now Devon Allen is gonna be DQ’d because of a 0.99 reaction time??
The sensors are ruining some possibly great races since they’ve been in the sport.— Anson Henry (@ansonhenry) July 18, 2022
It's a brutal rule.
Devon Allen did not move before the gun, but because his reaction time was 1,000th of a second faster than allowed he's out of the final.
He and Holloway moved together to the naked eye, but Allen is DQ'd and Holloway wins gold.
Heartbreaking turn of events— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) July 18, 2022
“When I was flagged, I was very surprised. That was also part of the frustration because I know for a fact I didn’t react until I heard the gun. To be 1/1000th too quick – I know I’m quick but that kind of sucks.” – @DevonAllen13 explains his DQ
More ➡️ https://t.co/baillv0b9U pic.twitter.com/uc6NiwFsMl— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) July 18, 2022
Devon Allen hoping to crack it in the NFL
American and defending world champion Grant Holloway won the race after crossing first in 13.03 seconds.
Fellow American Trey Cunningham finished in second (13.08 seconds), while Spain's Asier Martinez finished in third (13.17 seconds).
Allen entered the world championships having run the fastest time of the year and the third-fastest time ever with a 12.84-second finish at the New York Grand Prix in June.
He's a two-time Olympian with a fifth-place finish in Rio in 2016 and a fourth-place effort in Tokyo in 2021.
While his track season ends in disappointment, he'll shift gears to his next challenge at Eagles training camp starting on July 26, where he hopes to make the roster as a 27-year-old rookie.
In addition to running track, Allen played wide receiver at Oregon from 2014-16.
He wasn't an elite player, tallying 54 catches for 919 yards and eight touchdowns in three seasons.
But the Eagles were impressed when he ran a blistering 40-yard dash in 4.35 secs at Oregon's pro day and signed him to a deal.
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