England’s Zharnel Hughes was disqualified and saw an appeal rejected after initially winning the 200 metres on a dramatic night at the Commonwealth Games.
The 22-year-old was eliminated on Thursday night for obstruction – rule 163.2 – after planting an arm across Jereem Richards’ chest on the line.
Hughes set off on a lap of honour before seemingly being informed of the decision while still celebrating on the track.
After originally winning the race by a whisker, @zharnel_hughes has been disqualified from the men's 200m.#TeamAndCountry #GC2018Athletics pic.twitter.com/gjzTUVNiPv
— Team England (@TeamEngland) April 12, 2018
England lodged an appeal against the disqualification but it was rejected by athletics officials at the Gold Coast’s Carrara Stadium.
Trinidad’s Richards, who was upgraded to gold, said: “If he didn’t hit me I would have gone past him.
“He was ahead and when I started to catch him he started to break down and I felt his hand come across and hit me. That’s probably why they disqualified, but I don’t know.
“I was closing on him really fast and coming to the end of the race I got hit by him and slowed down a little bit.”
The disqualification also meant Northern Ireland’s Leon Reid took bronze after initially finishing fourth. Canada’s Aaron Brown was upgraded to silver.
Elsewhere Dina Asher-Smith won a gutsy bronze in the women’s 200m as England’s athletics campaign on the Gold Coast burst into life.
“I’m really happy. The 200m had the depth, to have got a medal in that field does mean a lot, ” she said after beating Olympic 100m champion Elaine Thompson on the line. Shaunae Miller-Uibo won with Shericka Jackson second.
Kyle Langford took silver in the 800m, Shara Proctor and Luke Cutts earned bronze medals in the long jump and pole vault respectively while Sophie Hahn took 100m T38 gold.
England are aiming to beat their worst-ever athletics medal tally in the Games of 18, set in Melbourne in 2006.
Meanwhile, Katarina Johnson-Thompson is closing in on heptathlon gold and leads after the first day of competition.
Johnson-Thompson was far from her best following world indoor pentathlon victory in Birmingham last month.
She ran 13.54 seconds in the 100m hurdles, 23.54secs in the 200m, jumped 1.87m in the high jump and threw 11.54m in the shot put.
Day 1️⃣ of the heptathlon is complete ✅
A rampant @JohnsonThompson has the overnight lead, while @niamhemerson is just outside the medal places in 4th. A good day's work 👏#TeamAndCountry #GC2018Athletics pic.twitter.com/iiJgNgbkH7
— Team England (@TeamEngland) April 12, 2018
Johnson-Thompson said: “I’m OK, I’m happy, I’m in the lead, a bit confused with some of my results but it’s what I should expect in April.
“I thought I could get away with it but I’ll really have to fight on Friday.
“These are pretty much season’s bests that I should be doing on an empty track in Wigan or Marseille.”
Scotland’s Eilidh Doyle won her third straight 400m hurdle silver medal.
The 31-year-old finished second in 54.80 seconds behind Jamaica’s Janieve Russell having also been runner-up in Delhi and Glasgow.
She said: “This has been, in terms of trying to win a medal, the hardest Games I’ve had to come out in, but I am just glad I can take something home.”
South Africa’s Caster Semenya, who won the 1500m on Tuesday, eased into Friday’s 800m final with England’s Alexandra Bell.