IAAF World Championships Athletes Beaten By Food Poisioning

The whole world has been buzzing since Usain Bolt lost out on gold in his last competitive appearance ever, with much criticism being thrown at Justin Gatlin. However, there are other events happening at the IAAF World Championships which have been threatened by a very real problem – food poisoning.

Numerous athletes staying at the Tower Hotel, one of the official hotels for the World Championships, have been hit by severe gastroenteritis. However, the hotel has been cleared as ‘not the source of the illness’ by the IAAF and Public Health England.

Notably, Botswana’s Isaac Makwala, a favorite for the 400m, was forced to withdraw from the 200m heats on the instruction of the IAAF. It is still unclear whether or not he will be able to compete in the 400m final – but we really hope that he can.

German Triple Jumper Neele Eckhardt collapsed but was well enough to compete on Saturday, and took part in Monday’s final. However, she finished last – possibly due to lingering side effects from the illness.

Another athlete, Irish 400m hurdler Thomas Barr was also forced out of his semi-finals on Monday. “I wasn’t feeling great yesterday evening and later in the night I was hit with a bad bout of gastroenteritis,” Barr said in an Athletics Ireland statement. “My whole year has been focused on the World Championships … and I’m gutted to have to withdraw.”

Representational Image: Reuters

Feature Image: AP/PTI Photo