Paris 2024 Olympic Games: How many false starts are athletes allowed? Disqualification rules for sprinters explained
Updated 03/08/2024 at 12:01 GMT+1
It does not get more painful than being disqualified in the 100m final for a false start - just ask Zharnel Hughes and Linford Christie. Both Brits have suffered heartbreak on the grandest stage of them all. With that in mind, we are going to take a closer look at the disqualification rules for this summer's Olympics in Paris, where Hughes hopes to avenge his disappointment from the last Games.
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Olympic athletes work their entire lives to represent their country on the grandest stage of them all, but one mistake can turn all of those dreams to dust.
That is what happened to British sprinter Zharnel Hughes at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The three-time Commonwealth Games medallist fought his way into the 100m final, but one error at the last moment cost him dearly.
The 29-year-old was disqualified for a false start, claiming that a sudden calf cramp caused him to burst out of the blocks too early.
He is not the only British star to have suffered heartbreak in the 100m final at an Olympic Games.
Linford Christie won Olympic gold in Barcelona in 1992, but the Brit suffered a shock disqualification four years later in Atlanta after two false starts.
Disqualifications happen, even at the highest level.
World Athletics, the sport's governing body, changed the rules for competitions it governs in 2009. Before then, one false start was allowed per race, with the next athlete to make a false start to be disqualified. Since then, there has been a zero-tolerance policy: one strike, and you're out.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at the disqualification rules for sprinters at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
HOW MANY FALSE STARTS ARE ATHLETES ALLOWED AT PARIS 2024?
There are no second chances at the Olympics.
If a sprinter begins to move from their set position before the starting pistol is fired, then they will pay the ultimate price.
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There will be no leeway in Paris: the runner in question will be automatically disqualified.
The 'Track & Field 101: Rules' on the Olympics website says: "If a sprinter commences his or her starting motion from the set position before the starter's gun is fired, it is deemed a false start.
"The first false start of a race results in an automatic disqualification to the offending runner."
What does the red and Black card mean for athletes? What does the yellow card mean?
The rules have been altered with regard to false starts in track events, as previously a false start would only produce a warning to all competitors.
That used to give the field a second chance, but no longer is that the case.
A false start - defined as when an athlete sets off within 0.1 seconds of the gun - results in a diagonal red and black card being shown and automatic disqualification.
This was the fate that befell Team GB sprinter Jeremiah Azu in the heats of the 100m at Paris 2024, whose reaction time of 0.073 earned him a red and black card, despite his protestations.
According to IAAF guidelines, a yellow card is only used when athletes are found to delay or disrupt the start of a race before the gun has gone off.
This can include disturbing athletes while in their blocks by making noise, or coming out of their 'set' position to standing.
Like in most other sports, two yellow cards to the same athlete will result in a red card, and thus disqualification.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer.
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