Botswana's Isaac Makwala admitted to being heartbroken and fuelled by anger as he ran two rounds of the 200 metres — one on his own — to reach the final at the world championships on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old had been given the go-ahead by the sport's governing body the IAAF after missing Monday's heats and then the 400m final because the quarantine period for the highly contagious norovirus which he had been diagnosed with had expired.
However, the fastest man in the world this year made light of it in his semifinal. Running in lane one, he finished second, raising his arm as he crossed the line.
"I'm still running with my heart broken," said Makwala.
"I wish the IAAF had given me the decision to run the 400m first.
"I was ready to run. I don't know who made the decision. I'm running with anger."
Earlier he had been even more flamboyant after performing in a solo time-trial easily beating the mark of 20.53sec which was the cut off point for the semis — to emphasise his fitness he then got down and did several press-ups after crossing the line.
Makwala had been barred from running in Tuesday's 400m final after being diagnosed with the stomach ailment on Monday which under English health recommendations requires 48 hours' quarantine.
This had provoked a row between the sport's governing body and Botswana athletics bosses who insisted he was perfectly fine to run.
Makwala subsequently turned up at the warm-up track ahead of the final but was turned away, with the athlete angrily accusing the IAAF or "the British" of sabotage -- as he was seen as the main threat to South Africa's 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk.
Makwala will still get a chance to deny van Niekerk the 200m/400m world double -- which American legend Michael Johnson achieved in 1995 -- in Thursday's final.
Makwala, who has become a genuine medal contender on the world stage late in his career, had fallen victim to the virus which swept one of the hotels hosting athletes and their support staff.
Public Health England revealed that 30 athletes and support staff had been affected with two cases confirmed as being the norovirus bug.
Norovirus is often caught through close contact with someone carrying the disease, or by touching contaminated surfaces or objects.
Massive empathy
Whilst Botswana officials claimed their athlete was fit as a fiddle, the IAAF issued a statement late on Tuesday to support their decision, saying he had been examined by a doctor and diagnosed with the illness.
Makwala, who earlier this year became the first athlete in history to run a sub-20sec 200m and a sub-44sec 400m on the same day, had been left fuming.
"I am heartbroken," he said. "I have waited. I feel it is like sabotage. I'm not sure if it is the IAAF or the British. I am feeling good to run tonight."
However, IAAF president Sebastian Coe, writing in Wednesday's Evening Standard, said he sympathised but ultimately the IAAF's primary concern was for all the athletes and their health.
"The medical teams made a judgement after medical examinations, and the medical team is very clear that this athlete was showing some quite serious symptoms that had been happening for a period of time, and needed to be removed from competition," wrote the 60-year-old, who recalled how he and fellow competitors were sent home from the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh because of a bronchial infection.
"No one from the IAAF is showing a lack of empathy with Isaac, far from it in fact. We have massive empathy for him as he worked so hard to get here."
Warholm screams to victory on night of shocks
Norway's Karsten Warholm and Phyllis Francis produced sublime performances to stun the favourites and take gold at the athletics world championships on Wednesday.
Warholm, a baby-faced 21-year-old, led from start to finish to beat one of the all-time greats in the 400 metres hurdles Kerron Clement and give Norway their first gold in the event.
Clement, bidding to become the first man to win the hurdles world title three times, had to settle for bronze.
"I truly don't believe it," gasped Warholm, who put his fingers round his mouth after crossing the line, apeing the famous painting 'The Scream' by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch.
"I've worked so hard for this but I don't know what I have done. This is an amazing feeling. I'm world champion, that's crazy."
Francis's victory was even more surprising as the American, fifth in the Olympics last year, looked set for a minor medal at best with Bahama's Shaunae Miller-Uibo set to add world gold to her Olympic crown.
However, the Bahamian tied up dreadfully in the final 20 metres and it was Francis who breasted the line in first with her legendary compatriot Allyson Felix third.
"At the finish line I was surprised, I thought I was second or third, but then they told me 'you are first'. That is crazy," said 25-year-old Francis.
Miller-Uibo stumbled over the line and then collapsed on the track with not only her dreams of 400m gold having been shattered but also of doing the 400m/200m double.
For two other athletes though the dream double remains on course with Britain's Mo Farah and South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk reaching the 5,000m and 200m finals respectively.
However, they got to them in very different styles
The 34-year-old Farah — who won the 10,000m last Friday — looked at ease in finishing second in his semi-final as he bids to bow out of championship track running with his fifth successive global title double.
Running with anger
400m world champion Van Niekerk, though, struggled into the 200m final by virtue of being the second of the two fastest losers — just 200th of a second ahead of France's Christophe Lemaitre.
"I knew it would be a tough challenge," said Van Niekerk, who is bidding to emulate the legendary Michael Johnson's 200m/400m double in the 1995 championships.
"To see my name in the final is a real pleasure. I've got time to recover now and give it my all in the final."
China got their first gold of the championships as Gong Lijiao ended years of near-misses in finals to take the women's shot put in a competition that failed to catch fire although the torrential rain didn't help.
"It is 26 years since China won a shot put medal, so it's a very special moment for me," she said.
