Confusion costs Rayner half marathon title

Sunday, 4 August 2019:

Confusion proved costly for defending champion Jack Rayner as he was disqualified from Sunday's Australian half marathon championship on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Victorian Rayner crossed the line first but was DQ'd for short-cutting the course, with Kevin Batt (64 minutes, 12 seconds) awarded the title.

Rayner said he'd been following an official on a bike when he was taken in the wrong direction at the 5km mark.

"There was a ute with a trailer on it there, which caused a bit of confusion and the guy on the bike said to me to follow him through and so I followed the bike, cause he was one of the officials," Rayner said.

"I think we were meant to go straight but we went left and he realised shortly after that it was the wrong way but by then it was too late to turn back.

"I was asking him what was going on and he said he didn't really know."

At the 13km mark a referee in a car told Rayner he'd been disqualified but the 23-year-old kept running amid the confusion.

Race director Jason Crowther said Rayner had ended up running 40m short on the course and under IAAF rules he had to be disqualified.

"We are not exactly sure how that happened but he ended up running 40m short, so he was disqualified," Crowther said.

"Post the race, we had a good chat with him and Jack being Jack he was ok with it but we are super disappointed for him."

A philosophical Batt said his win was a hollow victory.

"To me Jack was the winner but it is what it is but I definitely don't feel like the winner, so it's a bit of a weird feeling."

Watt finished ahead of Queenslander Louis McAfee (64:14) and in third was Victorian James Coleman in 64:20.

In the women's race Lisa Weightman broke the Australian all-comers record of 69 minutes that she set in 2011.

Weightman won in 68:47, beating home the 2018 champion Sinead Diver (69:08) and Victorian teammate Ellie Pashley (69:14).






AAP






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