Thursday, 9 August 2012

No Makhloufi IOC Investigation


Algerian Taoufik Makhloufi will not be the subject of an International Olympic Committee investigation into his 1,500 metres triumph which came the day after he pulled out of an 800m heat.

Makhloufi ran less than 150 metres of his 800m race on Monday morning before stopping.

He was initially disqualified from the Olympics for not providing what Games chiefs called 'a bona fide effort' but then reinstated after being seen by a doctor, and he won the 1,500m gold by an impressive distance on Tuesday night.

The 24-year-old's victory was described as 'surprising' by Steve Cram, Britain's former 1,500m world record holder, but the IOC said the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) were happy with what had taken place.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: 'Obviously the IAAF is happy with the procedure that happened.'

Cram had said on the BBC: 'He was entered in both events, you can't now do the classic 800m and 1,500m double so his federation made a bit of a mistake, they should have withdrawn him from the 800m.

'He decided to jog off the line, run 100m and stopped and he was considered not to have put in a bona fide effort, a bit like the badminton players last week.

'The doctor's note they got said he was injured and that was the reason he stopped but he didn't look very injured (in the 1,500m) so it was a bit of a manipulation but it was a surprising win nonetheless.

'He has come from almost nowhere. He has run some quick times this year and has come in and almost completely dominated the Olympic final.'



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