The recently concluded ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championship, which wrapped up on Saturday, witnessed a series of dramatic moments on the track, most notably a number of false starts and retroactive disqualifications that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.

However, according to Chief Starter Ludlow Watts, the source of these challenges was not the equipment nor the integrity of the team behind it, but rather the delicate nature of reaction times in competitive athletics.

Speaking on IRIE’s Sports Talkshow: What’s the Score on Monday, Watts addressed the controversy surrounding the false starts.

The starting blocks, which are designed to detect movements within 0.1 seconds after the starting signal, played a pivotal role in the disqualifications that marred some of the races. The force sensors inside the blocks trigger an acoustic signal when an athlete reacts too quickly, signaling a potential false start. In line with World Athletics rules, any reaction time faster than 0.1 seconds is considered a false start and automatically disqualifies the athlete from the race.

The retroactive disqualifications added to the tension, as some athletes were initially allowed to continue but were later disqualified upon review of the starting signals. However, in his explanation, ISSA President Keith Wellington emphasized that such decisions were not arbitrary but rather the result of careful deliberation by the jury.