Athletics: Timing Error Denies Gatlin 100m Record

Asafa Powell last night discovered he was still the world record holder for the 100 metres after the International Association of Athletics Federations announced that Justin Gatlin had only equalled the mark in Doha last Friday and not broken it.

The American was given a time of 9.76sec at the Qatar Super grand prix but his official time was 9.766, which was rounded down instead of being rounded up to Powell's time of 9.77 set in Athens last year according to rules set out by track and field's governing body, the timekeeper Tissot admitted.

Nick Davies, a spokesman for the IAAF, called the incident "unfortunate" but it is beginning to appear that the blue riband event in athletics is cursed. Ben Johnson's record of 9.79 set at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 was thrown out after he failed a drugs test and Tim Montgomery's mark of 9.78, set in Paris in 2002, was wiped off the books when he was suspended for two years based on information uncovered in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative doping scandal.

Tissot blamed human error for the mistake, which is embarrassing for the company. "Tissot Timing regrets the occurrence and apologises for this unique incident," it said. "The 'rounding rule', to be initiated manually on the timing system, had not been activated as instructed."

Renaldo Nehemiah, Gatlin's agent, was disappointed with the announcement.

"I am a bit surprised," he said. "It has been almost five days since he ran. I did not think it would take them that long to realise the possibility of a mistake."

Nevertheless, it all adds spice to the Norwich Union grand prix in Gateshead on June 11 when Gatlin and Powell are scheduled to race each other.