False-start risk had athletes on edge at nationals

EUGENE, Ore. — On your marks, get set — and wait.
Some athletes at U.S. track nationals were sounding off after feeling the starter’s gun took too long to go off.
Runners were kept in their crouches far longer than anticipated and their reaction times were noticeably slower all weekend because of a strict new false-start rule.
It was better to be late out of the blocks than disqualified with the IAAF’s one-strike-and-out policy.
The slow starts had athletes seething, not understanding the purpose behind holding them so long in the blocks.
David Oliver, the 110-meter hurdles champion, was fed up after watching Kristi Castlin disqualified for twitching in the semifinals of the 100 hurdles Sunday.
Shortly after, Oliver tweeted, “Everybody asking me why I didn’t get out the blocks in the race, can’t take chances with these clowns.”
He didn’t back down later in the afternoon.
“They’re holding us way too long, especially compared to what we’re used to doing,” Oliver said. “At international competitions, you don’t know the cadence, but it’s not like you’re sitting in the set position for forever and a day.”
Olympic champion hurdler Dawn Harper agrees.
“It was pretty bad,” said Harper, who finished third in the 100 hurdles to earn a spot at worlds later this summer in South Korea. “When (Castlin) false-started, I was thinking, ‘I almost can’t blame her.’ My mind started to wander. They said set and it was like, ‘Wait, wait, pow!’ It’s difficult.”
They have to wait, too, because it’s a severe penalty for leaving early. The IAAF, the world governing body of track and field, put in place a more stringent false-start rule last season. Anyone who leaves early is automatically disqualified.
Before last year, the field was allowed one false start and it wasn’t until the second false start that runners were eliminated. The change was made to prevent gamesmanship in the starting blocks and also to save time.
At nationals, it didn’t necessarily accomplish either.
In Eugene, athletes who got DQ’d were allowed to run under protest, just like Castlin did, along with sprinter Ivory Williams earlier in the meet during the finals of the 100.
Neither ended up qualifying for worlds.
“I did react before everyone else, but the gun had went off,” an astonished Williams said after the race. “It’s heartbreaking.”
Sometimes, after telling the sprinters to stand up, officials would huddle to review what happened, before allowing everyone to step back to the line.
With no disqualifications.
“I feel like they’re messing up the whole sport,” Williams said. “Even for the big-time names: What if Justin Gatlin or Usain Bolt jumped? Think they’re going to let them back in? I think so.”
USA Track and Field noted the concerns the athletes have expressed.
“All meet officials and starters … are certified USATF officials. Starters in particular must use their best judgment for how long to hold athletes, taking into consideration how long it takes athletes to get into the blocks and still themselves,” USATF representative Jill Geer said in an email. “The human element of a start applies to both starters and athletes and can vary from st arter to starter, both domestically and internationally.”
That’s why Oliver took a cautious approach, taking off well after the gun had sounded and relying on his speed to make up the ground.
“You have to be careful. You don’t want to false-start out of the championships, and your whole season goes downhill,” Oliver said. “It’s more important to stay in the (blocks), even if it’s that extra bit. I can make it up.”
Hurdler Lolo Jones couldn’t. After a call-back to the line and then Castlin’s false start, the semifinal race finally got under way. Jones finished ninth and missed a spot in the finals.
“I didn’t think it would (bother me),” said Jones, who’s had an injury-plagued season. “The problem with my start is if I don’t nail it, it throws my whole race off. That’s what happened, because I had to play cautious.
“Mentally, I was ready. I think just technically, I guess, I messed up because of the false start. It’s on me for sure. There’s no team in track. All the blame will be on me.”