False starts topples Bolt at World Athletics

Daegu: In the space of a few seconds on Sunday, Usain Bolt went from confident, preening king of the track to a grimacing, toppled champion.

Standing in the blocks ahead of the world championships 100 metres final, he nodded his head, grinned at the camera and looked from side to side at his rivals, shaking his head theatrically.

Under pressure from his training partner and new world 100 metres champion Yohan Blake, though, the Jamaican started way too early and in an instance lost both his title and aura of invincibility.

The crowd of some 35,000 in the Korean city of Daegu gasped as one.

No matter that Blake's winning time of 9.92 seconds was no way near his compatriot's world record of 9.58, the spell was broken.

After pounding a wall with his open hand in bare-chested frustration, Bolt fled the stadium with only one defiant comment: "Looking for tears? That's not going to happen."

But that defiance could not mask his disappointment nor deflect the seismic shock of the world's fastest man being laid low.

Bolt is the biggest name in track and field and one of the biggest names in world sport, a man whose showmanship and charisma are matched only by his talent.

Understandably his rivals were left with conflicting feelings.

"As much as I want to be on the podium, tonight is a sad night for athletics," said bronze medalist Kim Collins. "I know Bolt is really angry and I hope he takes it easy on us in the 200."

New champion and Bolt's understudy Blake struggled with contrasting emotions.

"I am traumatised and have mixed feelings - very sad for Usain Bolt but at the same time I am enjoying this moment very much," he said.

"When Bolt did the false start I was soooo surprised because we have been talking about that in training and now it happens! After the false start...I knew that I had to keep my head and to do the job for him. Refocus and get the job done."

The American silver medallist has no doubt the man dubbed 'Lightning Bolt' will hit back straight away.

"This is one event, it really doesn't change anything," he said. "He had a blip today and that's all it was.

"He'll be in the 200 and he'll be ready to run."