One man’s misfortune became another’s fortune at the ongoing World Athletics Champions in Budapest today after the disqualification of French athlete handed him a slot in the semis.
Alaba Akintola had finished fourth which normally should end his hope of vying for a podium finish.
However, after the race, it was discovered that a French sprinter, Ryan Zeze had been disqualified for a bad start even before the race ended.
However, Zeze continued in the race and interestingly finished third ahead of the Nigerian Athlete who finished fourth in 20.54 seconds.
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American sprinter Kenny Bednarek won the race in 20.01 seconds ahead of the reigning silver medalist Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic.
Since Zeze was disqualified for a bad start, the Nigerian athlete moved from fourth to third and automatically qualified for the 200-meter semi-final at the 2023 World Athletics Championship.
The Nigerian athlete will battle for a spot in the final from 7:20 p.m. WAT on Thursday, August 24. He must finish in the top three to make it to the final.