Does the World Athletics Championships have a false start problem?
Devon Allen stole the headlines for all the wrong reasons when he got disqualified from the 110m hurdles final. We examine the rules and technology around false starts.
US athlete Devon Allen has made global headlines this week after being disqualified from the 110m hurdles final at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon. He was judged to have left the starting blocks a thousandth of a second too early.
On More or Less we crunch the numbers behind false starts in athletics, asking how quick is too quick when it comes to reacting to a starting gun and whether something else might have gone wrong with the measurement system.
Presenter: Ben Carter
Producer: Jon Bithrey
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar
Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
(Devon Allen competing at the World Athletics Championships, Oregon22. Credit: Andy Lyons /Getty Images)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sat 23 Jul 202204:50GMTBBC World Service
- Sat 23 Jul 202222:50GMTBBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Sat 23 Jul 202223:50GMTBBC World Service Online, UK DAB/Freeview, News Internet & Europe and the Middle East only
- Sun 24 Jul 202200:50GMTBBC World Service South Asia & East Asia only
- Sun 24 Jul 202213:50GMTBBC World Service Australasia & News Internet only
- Sun 24 Jul 202222:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Mon 25 Jul 202209:50GMTBBC World Service
Download this programme
Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.
