GB's Azu to appeal after disqualification in men's 100m heats

GB sprinter Jeremiah Azu will appeal after suffering the heartbreak of being disqualified from the Olympic men's 100m heats in Paris because of a false start.

Azu fought his case after the sanction, citing the noise in the stadium with the pole vault ongoing and French interest getting the crowd excited.

The 23-year-old Welshman was not allowed to race and will now launch a protest.

"Honestly I reacted to a sound,” Azu told BBC One.

"It's a shame, the crowd is so excited, they have got the pole vault going on, the French fans are in here.

"It's a shame they did not let me run under protest. I am not sure what rules are being used.

"They have said I have to go back and put an appeal in, so I am going to go through the process and see what happens.

"I was saying I want to run under protest. Any other race they allow you to run and then afterwards you review it.

"It's the Olympics so it is clearly different rules. I am going to get back, try and get this protest done as quick as possible, so hopefully I can come back here and get into the semi-finals."

While Azu waits for the decision of his appeal, he will also be involved in the 4x100m men's relay next week.

Former Olympics 200m champion Michael Johnson told the BBC: "You are at the Olympic Games, you know that you can't start before the gun and that was a blatant false start.

"The pressure is not the issue because this is the Olympic Games, you are a professional athlete, this what you do.

"The issue is whether or not he did hear something, because if he did that is a legitimate excuse. Nobody else heard it though, that's his problem.

"He was the only one so that is going to be a problem for him in the protest.

"He is right about not understanding the rules because I don't either. Typically you are able to run under protest but I guess they have a different situation here at the Olympics where it it is blatant, which it was, they don't allow you to run under protest.

"They should just let you run under protest and let you sort it out later."