Decisions at World Championships sometimes spark intense debates among athletes and fans alike. The world witnessed such an incident at the ongoing World Athletics Championships when officials disqualified Devon Allen.

Fans met the decision with severe criticism. Moreover, other prominent athletes, including Michael Johnson, have condemned the ruling.

What did the track legend say on the disqualification of Devon Allen?

There was serious debate regarding the move to disqualify Eagles receiver Allen in the finals of the 100m hurdles on July 17. The officials concluded the ruling after reviewing the footage. It showed the athlete starting the race one-thousandth of a second earlier than the permitted time.

Fans, prominent athletes, and pundits hailed Devon as the hopeful for the 110m hurdles event. Many expected the US hurdler to bring in the tenth medal of the day. However, in a surprising twist of events, fans watched the athlete get disqualified after authorities deemed he made a false start.

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What Was the 0.001 Second Reason for Devon Allen’s Disqualification During World Championships Athletics 2022?

A false start occurs when an athlete starts an event before the starter’s pistol goes off. However, there is a clause to this rule. If an athlete starts the race within 0.10s, officials still consider it a false start. It stems from research that posits that humans cannot have a reaction time lesser than 0.10 seconds.

During the 110m hurdles finals, Allen’s reaction time was 0.099, off by 0.001s. So officials ruled it as a false start. As a result, the association faced intense criticism following the incident.

The most prominent person to voice their concern regarding the issue was former track champion, Michael Johnson. Expressing his displeasure with the rule, he tweeted to oppose the ruling.

The tweet read, “To be clear unfortunately Devon Allen was robbed because of an antiquated World Athletics rule, not by the officials. Officials can’t just decide in the moment to disregard a rule violation even if it’s a stupid and unfair rule. WA need to change the rule!”

Reasons behind the disapproval of many fans and athletes

Some fans of the sport supported him, while others criticized his stance. Although some people supported his view and called for a revision of the old rule, others called him out for speaking only for the US athlete.

Some opined that other athletes at the meet also faced disqualification for similar reaction times, referring to St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred and the Bahamas’ TyNia Gaither. Officials disqualified the sprinters in the 100m semifinals following similar false starts.

DIVE DEEPER- “Punished for Being Too Fast”: US Star Devon Allen’s Shocking Disqualification Leaves Sports World Furious at IAAF

People condemned the ruling partly because of a commissioned study by the association in 2009. It found that athletes’ reaction times can be as fast as 0.08s.