Bam! The most anticipated event of the IAAF World Championships exploded out of the barrel of the starting gun. Crouched like tigers, the fastest men on the planet shoot out of their blocks. Bam! another shot is fired, one of them has pounced too early. Usain Bolt is well clear of his opposition, but he does not continue running, instead he tears of his jersey and runs off the track. This time the fastest man of all time will take last place. Not because he was any slower than his competitors, however, but because of a new false start rule.

This was the first World Championship since the IAAF ( International Association of Athletics Federations) the governing body for all international track and field events, implemented a one strike and you’re out false start rule. Since 2003, the rules have always been the same, the first false start is “charged to the field”,  meaning nobody gets disqualified, but the next false start will be disqualified. However as of January first 2010 this was no longer the case, and as a result the worlds fastest man took an embarrassing last place.

There is no question as to whether Bolt should have received a second chance.He broke the rules at the time, and therefore he was disqualified. The question that lingers is; is a rule that may cause a slower athlete to beat a faster one good for the sport? Is it fair?

Although there may be no simple answer to this question, as an avid fan of track and field I know my answer. As a whole, Track receives very little publicity as it is. People like Bolt, whose superhuman speed and strong personality keep people watching the sport are vital for its continuation. Eliminating him from competition cannot be good for the sport as a whole. The man who everyone came to see was not allowed to run.
So maybe the false start rule makes fans unhappy because sometimes they won’t see their favorite athlete run, why should the IAAF care?

All sprinters know that a good start is essential to having a fast 100 meter. In fact it’s a miracle most sprinters don’t false start more often considering the way that they burst out of the blocks the second the gun goes off. All of that considered, by scaring all the worlds best sprinters into having safe controlled starts you essentially take away the possibility that a world record will be broken, that a fast time will be run and ensure that they do not meet their full potential. All the things that make track interesting are taken away.

Furthermore, no longer is it a test of who is fastest, but it also boils down to luck, if you are willing to risk false starting you gain a significant advantage, but who knows if you will be disqualified? A sport known for pitting the best athletes in the world in fair competition is sloppily allowing their competitions to yield results based on luck.

           It simply is not fair to the athletes. Professional track and field athletes train as hard as any athlete in the world, I can say this with confidence because their training is literally all about athleticism and pushing themselves to be better every day. They are never bothered with tactics, teamwork or decision making that goes along with other sports, it’s pure athleticism. To think then that months of preparation all for a single event are wasted all because you jump the gun by less than two tenth’s of a second.  It seems a little cruel doesn’t it?

In short, a rule that takes the excitement and skill out of the sport is hardly a rule worth keeping. Although Bolt did loose his 100 meter title he still won the 200 meters and was the anchor of a 4×100 meter relay team that won in world record time. But perhaps most of all his influence on the sport will help change a ridiculous rule, and usher in a new era of more fair athletic competition.