Eric Cray disqualified for false start at IAAF World Championships

MANILA, Philippines – Eric Cray came into the 2017 IAAF World Championships with a year’s best time of 49.50, which would have been enough to send him to the semifinal of the 400-meter hurdles despite being in lane 8. 

Instead, a report of the recall starter’s gun in the fourth heat sent Cray out of the event. The heat was topped by Juander Santos of the Dominican Republic at 49.19. In second was Karsten Warholm of Norway with 49.50 and Guillermo Ruggieri of Italy with 49.69. 

Ricardo Cunningham of Jamaica was fourth in 49.91 and Victor Coroller of France, with 50 seconds, was the fifth qualifier.  

Cray won the 400m hurdles in the Asian track and field championship last month in India where he dominated the field. Every athlete has had his brush with false starts but with the Southeast Asian Games around the corner, some tweaking in his tactics off the start will be needed.

Cray is one of the Philippines’ gold medal hopes for the Southeast Asian Games but it is not clear whether he will run the 100 meters and the 400 meters hurdles, which he won two years ago, in the SEA Games. – Rappler.com