Official Devon Allen False Start / 2022 Worlds Reaction Time Discussion Thread

Even if the equipment is now more accurate, should they not then be adjusting the false start time down from 0.1 to 0.085 or something?

For reference sake, the old threads which have been locked to new posts were these:

Devon Allen is an American. That is why you care so much about this. You are a true Patriot.

Has anyone compared the pre to post Devon DQ reaction times across sprint events?

Be interesting to see if after Devon's DQ reaction times slowed down across the board, arguing that WA made some change.

They didn't. Somebody compared the reaction times in another thread post Allen DQ and they were still .02 faster on average.

You’re never going to get an answer from World Athletics. They can’t concede the timing was messed up when world records were set. Time to move on.

Obviously not the story Devon Allen or the people wanted, but this provides more reason for him to return and set the world record. He’s not done hurdling.

Devon is done hurdling. Of course he is. And about the world record. Devon had a +1.6 wind when he ran 12.84. Can he replicate that even? Not an easy task.

At the end of the day, it is pretty simple from where I stand.

I think that there are naturally going to be discrepancies in the sensitivity of the blocks due to the difference in brands, materials used, size, environmental impacts, and heightened reactivity in pressure situations. With that being said, it is important that there be room built in regarding the allowable reaction time. It has been stated previously that the powers that be had already admitted the possibility of reaction times being under the .100 threshold.

Make the threshold .000. Stop trying to overthink it, guess what humans reaction time is, mess around with questions re equipment. .000 allows there to be wiggle room with the variables and takes away the possibility of a DQ because someone has an amazing reaction time. If someone goes before the gun, there will be no debate about the sensors because having a reaction time close to zero was most likely a gun-guess anyway. If athletes want to try to rest their hopes, dreams, and years of work on a guess, then let them. Athletes (sane ones) will not be looking to anticipate the gun for risk of DQ.

We need to eliminate non-sensical, over-thinking rules that make the sport harder to stomach, all while not adding any benefit. I mentioned in another post about the Long Jump using a new system that creates a vertical plane scratch. Now the jumper must be behind the line AND make sure the tip of their toe doe not cross the plane (even if it doesn't touch the foul mark) as the athlete rolls through the jump. It is a rule that was created for no purpose other than to overthink things.

rojo impressive level of investigation. I hope it helps avoid false positives going forward.

Im glad there is actually someone still forcing this issue. Its ridiculous that 4 athletes were wrongly DQd and World Athletics refuses to acknowledge that there was an issue. They obviously can't re-run the races, but WA could at least start by acknowledging something was wrong and taking steps to make sure it never happens in the future.

Keep the pressure up.

Recover from what exactly?

Worlds….it is not a pandemic yet but give it time…

I've posted a CSV file that can be downloaded and imported into a spreadsheet or other analytic tool at the link below. It should contain the results for all individual block start events for IAAF World Championships (about 20) and Olympics back to 2000.

Better than trying to force a pointless exhibition against Grant Holloway which no one wanted to see. For what purpose? So you can say Holloway isn't the legit World Champion?

I'm not a sprinter so the following may be garbage, but what the heck.

Does anyone know of a good article that describes exactly how the measurement system operates? Pictures I've seen show a box mounted at the back of the starting block assembly but it is not apparent how it measures the start. I had assumed it was a load cell but it appeared to be behind the back mounting bracket and so out of the load path. So it could be an accelerometer but that would require rearward motion of the starting block to trigger the accelerometer. Or is it vertical? When the runner pushes off there will be both a horizontal and vertical vector. Does the vertical component result in the blocks compressing the track surface and so triggering the accelerometer?

I also wonder what effect the method of attaching the blocks to the track (bolts, pins dowels?) could have. Also whether the nature of the track surface can affect the system? A hard mount system would increase the response of a load cell system and decrease the response of an accelerometer. A soft mount would have the opposite effect deadening the load cell but increasing the reaction of an accelerometer.

It is obvious something was different at Eugene. Has anyone drawn up a list of all the variables. It could be something as simple as mounting bolts were supposed to be done up finger-tight but some one took a wrench to them and so changed the whole dynamic characteristic of the system.

A single thread so we all know what to focus on? What does this mean?

The story and theories haven't changed. IAAF won't even acknowledge this as an issue.

What do you hope to do? I can't imagine this going anywhere or gaining any traction.

I genuinely appreciate the creative questions you asked yourself and then answered. No, it doesn't change the DQ but just because it can't change the past doesn't mean we don't deserve to know the truth or have answers. And, if this affected you, your world record attempt, your dreams, then you'd appreciate someone combing through the data to find evidence that supports you being wrongfully DQ'd. Above that, this site is about making things as transparent as possible throughout the running community. I hope this wrongful DQ is acknowledged. Whether that happens or not, I hope the facts put pressure where it needs to be so policies can be updated/ this can be avoided in the future.

That is a very good article. Obviously, the timing system used at the U.S. Nationals operated very differently than that used at the Worlds. There is absolutely no question about that. Which means that we need go no further to recognize that the track and field authorities have a VERY LARGE problem that they must both acknowledge and fix. You can't have one system for the U.S. competition, and then effectively an entirely different system at Worlds. To do so is absurd.

This would never have been an issue if, say, Tobi Amusan had false started.