Devon Allen’s agent, Paul Doyle, is considering suing the IAAF after the most controversial false start at the World Championships in Athletics.
Allen was eliminated from 110 hurdles in the final after being too fast in the thousandths of the blocks.
– He was robbed at the greatest moment of his life, Doyle says in a podcast at Letsrun.com.
Paul Doyle believes that the entire measurement system that records false starts must have been miscalculated.
The minimum reaction time allowed in WC is 0.100, that is, one tenth of a second.
A human is not considered to be able to respond faster to a starting shot, although some analyzes have questioned this limit.
Allen’s proven quick reaction was 099.
And in this year’s restroom, there were several exceptionally quick response times.
In all previous tournaments, only one average started faster than 0.115 in a full training session or Olympic Games. Now she is twenty-five years old. This cannot happen. It is statistically impossible. Doyle believes there must be a calibration error in the device.
3rd faster than ever
Devon Allen won the US World Championship in a thrilling 12.84 race just two weeks before the start of the world championships at home in Eugene.
It’s the third fastest time ever.
It would have been enough for WC’s gold – by far.
Now the American won the Holloway Grand Prix on 13.03, while home favorite Allen had to stand up and watch.
Paul Doyle is convinced Allen won the race.
– There is no chance that he lost.
“Maltreatment”
In this case, Devon Allen would also have received $70,000, just over 700,000 kronor, in prize money alone.
Now he gets nothing.
When Doyle was asked if it would be appropriate to sue the federation, he answered.
– We’re looking at those possibilities. It has been mishandled and this needs to be fixed.
WC was Devon Allen’s last contest of the season. Signing a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, he headed straight to the team’s training camp that began Wednesday.