The athletics world – and all those who love sport – was stunned last Sunday when Usain Bolt missed the chance of retaining the 100 metres dash world title after being disqualified for a jump-start.

He literally bolted out of the blocks a split second too early and, according to the regulations, could not participate in the final.

The question that immediately arose after this unexpected turn of events was why the Olympic champion allowed himself to be over-ridden by the tension preceding such an important race, when he was the favourite and when he is by far the best sprinter in the world.

Recent events show a great disparity between the Jamaican star and the rest of the competitors, and there was really no need for Bolt to get so worked up to compromise his situation. Is the great man feeling the pressure? Is he not so sure of himself any more?

The second issue is the regulations. In the past, the fast races used to turn into farces when each athlete was allowed one false start before being disqualified when he committed the second infringement. This was later changed to just one false start being allowed whereas, at the second false start, there followed the disqualification of the athlete making this mistake irrespective of whether he had been the one who made the initial false start. Subsequently, this was changed further to disqualify any athlete who jump-starts at the first attempt.

After what happened last Sunday, the athletics federation said it will be reviewing the regulations, but stopped short of saying whether they will be changed. Naturally, when something like this happens to the best athlete in the world, there is bound to be some controversy, which would not have happened if the athlete in question had been of a lower level.

But it must be said that athletics in general was the biggest loser with Bolt’s disqualification. The expectations for the race were high, and it ended up being an anti-climax when Bolt was eliminated.

The 100-metre race is the most sought-after competition in athletics – just think in terms of prices. For example, the entry ticket for the 100-metre race at the London Olympic Games next year is the most expensive. So when the star of the race is eliminated, it is bound to have some repercussions.