Mozambican sprinter Stephen Sabino Olympic debut The 18-year-old athlete made a crucial error that marred his only competition in Paris on Saturday.
Sabino’s first Summer Olympic appearance ended as soon as it had begun when he was disqualified in the men’s 100m heats for a false start on the purple track. Stade de France.
Mozambican athlete Steven Sabino reacts on the sidelines after being disqualified as other athletes prepare to start during the men’s 100 metres heats at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games athletics event at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on August 3, 2024 in Paris. (Anne-Christine Pujola/AFP via Getty Images)
Sabino was competing in the second heat of the day and was first across the starting line before the starting gun went off, and appeared to hold up his hands in confusion as officials along the course discussed the infraction.
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The umpire came over to Sabino, waved a red card and told him he was disqualified for a false start, and Sabino pleaded with the umpire to no avail.
After the incident, Sabino explained that he had reacted because he believed it was the starting gun for another event.
“We were in set position and we heard an explosion,” Sabino said through tears. From Yahoo Sports. “I don’t know where it came from. Maybe a pole vault. I don’t know. I heard a bang. It sounded like what you hear when an electronic gun goes off.”
Mozambique athlete Steven Sabino gets a false start during the men’s 100m qualifying heats at the Stade de France during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in Paris, France. (Sam Burns/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
A Laotian Olympic sprinter finishes her race and turns around to help a fallen opponent in the women’s 100m heats
“They didn’t even listen to me,” he added of the race officials. “I sacrificed everything for this.”
Sabino qualified for the Olympics in the 100 metres after receiving a universal wild card. He won a silver medal in the event at the 2023 Africa U-18 Championships and set a national record in the men’s 100 metres in March in Johannesburg with a time of 10.35 seconds.
“It feels like a dream come true that as an 18-year-old high school student, I’ve been able to accomplish something so big on my bucket list,” he wrote on Instagram last month. “This is dedicated to my parents and siblings. Thank you for always giving me moral support even when I feel so alone wherever I go.”
On August 3, 2024, during the men’s 100-meter qualifying heats in track and field, Mozambican runner Steven Sabino was disqualified and left the track as other runners prepared to start. (Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images)
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Sabino wasn’t the only sprinter to fall victim to the Olympics’ strict false start rules on Saturday: Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azzou was also disqualified in the 100m heat for starting too early, according to Yahoo Sports.
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