Jeremiah Azu Disqualified from Olympic 100m Heats

British sprinter Jeremiah Azu was disqualified from the Olympic men's 100m heats in Paris due to a false start, despite his appeal citing stadium noise and crowd excitement. Azu argued that the ongoing pole vault event and enthusiastic French fans affected his start, but officials upheld the disqualification and did not permit him to run under protest. Former Olympic champion Michael Johnson commented that while the false start was evident, noise interference could be a legitimate excuse. Azu expressed frustration over the different rules applied at the Olympics compared to other events where athletes can compete under protest. Although his individual event hopes are dashed, Azu is expected to compete in the GB men's 4x100m relay next week.