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.
Read Also: Ofili, Akintola advance to 200m semis at Budapest 2023
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.
