Isaac Makwala was uncertain to compete in the final of the 400 meters at the world championships after coming down with a stomach bug which forced him to withdraw from the 200 heats.
Makwala had already qualified for the 400 final when he was a no-show for the 200 heats on Tuesday, suffering from a stomach virus that affected about 30 people at the championships. He will run next at 3:55 p.m. on Wednesday in hopes of earning a spot in the finals.
Nine people at the world championships were still being affected by a virus that hit athletes and staff staying at one of the official hotels.
The IAAF said in a statement issued moments before the final: “The IAAF is very sorry that the hard work and talent of Isaac Makwala won’t be on display tonight but we have to think of the welfare of all athletes”. Makwala’s quarantine ended earlier on Wednesday.
The IAAF said in a statement that the time trial was granted after Botswana’s federation submitted a written request petitioning for it. Unlike the 200 the day before, from which Makwala had voluntarily withdrawn, it was IAAF’s decision to withdraw Makwala, who traveled to the arena ready to compete despite being under quarantine.
Also missing was David Rudisha of Kenya, the world-record holder at 800 meters who pulled out last week with a leg injury – a move that turned the event into a free-for-all. “I still maintain I am not sick”.
But the IAAF claimed they had no choice but to force him to withdraw from the race for the good of fellow competitors.
“The way they [handled my situation], there’s something they don’t want to tell us”, he said.
Former Olympian Michael Johnson put forth a conspiracy theory to the Guardian: that IAAF somehow used norovirus as an excuse to rig the race to favor Makwala’s rival Wayde van Niekerk, who went on to win the 400.
“We can’t go into details of athletes’ conditions. To suggest otherwise is absurd”.
Several German and Canadian athletes staying at the Tower Hotel fell ill last week.
“We continue to liaise with the medical authorities and the IAAF to ensure the comfort of those guests affected and the health and well being of all our guests remains a priority”.
Competition organisers said on Monday that the illnesses were a result of gastroenteritis, but Public Health England (PHE) on Tuesday said that laboratory tests had confirmed that two infections were caused by norovirus.
Botswana team officials dispute the IAAF’s version of events, and national sports commission chief executive Falcon Sedimo said the team found out about Makwala’s exclusion through the media.
A spokesperson for The Tower Hotel told CNN it was “not the source of the illness”, adding that the hotel was working closely with the sport’s governing body, the IAAF, and environmental health officers to investigate the origins of the outbreak.