Amanzimtoti athlete disqualified for somersault over race finish line

AN AMANZIMTOTI Athletic Club runner is shocked after he was disqualified for doing a forward roll over the finish-line of the Archie Gumede memorial race which took place on Sunday, 12 August.

The runner, who asked not to be named, acted out of irrepressible excitement and he wants to warn the running community of Amanzimtoti that this act will not be tolerated.

The event, hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Sport and Recreation Department had Vusi, who explained that he is bipolar, in high spirits. Hence

When reaching the end of the race, which Vusi achieved very well in and even stood eligible for a prize, the runner did a forward summersault over the finishline.

“I always see the runners on TV do this,” he said. “After I did this at the event’s finishline, I was told by officials I had been disqualified. I didn’t get my running time nor any prize I would’ve earned.”

The rulebook states that runners must cross the line on foot and if in a close finish, it must be the torso crossing the line that concludes a finish, not the head or a limb. The Toti AC runner came away from the 10km race having learned from his hard-learned lesson. He now warns other runners to refrain from trying similar things, or what they may see on television.

“By making these mistakes, runners can miss out on many prizes up for grabs,” he said.

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