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McLeod apologises to Ortega

Published:Friday | October 4, 2019 | 12:10 AMAkino Ming/Staff Reporter
Omar McLeod (right) encroaches on Spain’s Orlando Ortega’s lane, resulting in the Jamaican’s disqualification from the men’s 110m hurdles final at the Khalifa International Stadium during the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday.
Gladstone Taylor
Omar McLeod (right) encroaches on Spain’s Orlando Ortega’s lane, resulting in the Jamaican’s disqualification from the men’s 110m hurdles final at the Khalifa International Stadium during the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday.

Doha, Qatar:

Omar McLeod was disappointed to have fallen in the final of the men’s 110m hurdles, but he was even more peeved that his fall impeded Spanish athlete Orlando Ortega.

McLeod, who was trying to defend his world title, clipped hurdle eight, left his lane and made contact with Ortega, who was in a bronze medal position at the time.

“I am very sorry for Ortega because I bounced him and he could have got a medal,” McLeod said after the race.

The Spanish athlete eventually finished fifth in 13.30 seconds as American Grant Holloway won the race in 13.10 seconds. Russian Sergey Shubenkov finished second in 13.15, while France’s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde won the bronze medal in 13.18.

Ortega launched a protest, but it was thrown out by the IAAF Jury of Appeal on Wednesday night. However, the Jury of Appeal reneged on its initial stance after the Spanish team filed a second appeal yesterday.

“The Jury of Appeal reconsidered the case, and in view of the obstruction by athlete Omar McLeod, which impeded the Spanish athlete, the jury accepted the appeal and directed that Ortega also be awarded a bronze medal,” the release said.

In the semi-final of the event, Ronald Levy was disqualified for impeding Barbadian Shane Brathwaite.

Brathwaite was allowed to run in the final with the other eight finalists. But Levy has since voiced his disappointment about the ordeal with a series of photographs on his Instagram page showing the Barbadian drifting into his lane.

BARBADOS APPEAL

IAAF says that Team Barbados filed an appeal claiming that:

“Shane Brathwaite was impeded by the athlete running in Lane 7 (Ronald Levy, Jam) and that this cost him a place in the Final as the fastest loser. They claim the athlete in Lane 7 trailed his leg into Lane 8 (Shane Brathwaite) making contact inevitable, forcing Brathwaite to take action to avoid contact and causing him to lose balance, interfering with his rhythm.”

A statement from the IAAF’s Jury of Appeal says a review of the video of the race showed that Brathwaite had been interfered with by Levy.

“The Jury of Appeal met, and, after reviewing the video of the race, concluded that Brathwaite (Bar) was interfered with by the athlete in Lane 7 (Ronald Levy, Jam),” the statement read.