What happened?
A shocking incident occurred at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday, August 24, 2023, when two buggies carrying athletes to the men’s 200m semi-finals crashed outside the National Athletics Centre. The buggies, which are used to transport athletes from the warm-up track to the stadium, collided with each other at a crossroad, causing one passenger to be flung onto the tarmac. Two pedestrians also had a close shave when they were nearly caught up in the impact.
The collision delayed the start of the first of the three semi-finals by 24 minutes, as medical staff attended to the injured athletes and volunteers. One of the victims was Jamaican sprinter Andrew Hudson, who was seen holding his eye and grimacing in pain. He had shards of glass in his eye from the broken windshield of the buggy. He was cleared to participate by the doctors, but he said he had blurry vision during his race.
How did it affect the race?
Despite the crash, all of the athletes lined up for their semi-final races. US sprinter Noah Lyles, who won the 100m final on Sunday, was also involved in the crash but was unaffected and qualified fastest in 19.75 seconds. He was followed by Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic in second place.
In the other semi-final, Britain’s Zharnel Hughes qualified as a runner-up behind Erriyon Knighton of the United States, who jogged over the line to record a 19.98-second run. Hudson finished fifth in his race, with only the first two automatically qualifying, plus two fastest losers from each of the three semi-finals. However, officials granted him a spot in the final as a discretionary measure.
What did the athletes say?
Hudson expressed his gratitude to the other athletes for waiting and agreeing to take their heat later on in the competition. He also thanked World Athletics for giving him a chance to run in the final. He said he worked so hard to be here and he thought he would at least try. He added that his eye was still pretty blurry and he hoped it would get better soon.
Lyles said he was fine after the crash and he did not let it affect his performance. He said he was focused on his race and he did not want to waste any energy on something that was out of his control. He said he was looking forward to defending his title in the final.
Hughes said he ran a controlled race and followed the instructions of his coach. He said he knew Knighton was going to run up on him and he just needed to stay relaxed and run his own race. He said he was excited to be in the final and he hoped to do well.
What did the organisers say?
The Budapest organising committee issued a statement saying that they were investigating the incident and reviewing the transport procedures. They said that one athlete and a volunteer were assessed and cleared to participate and that they were both fine. They apologised for any inconvenience caused by the delay and assured that they would take all necessary measures to prevent such accidents from happening again.
They also praised the sportsmanship and professionalism of the athletes who showed patience and understanding during the difficult situation. They said they were proud of hosting such a high-level event and they hoped that everyone would enjoy the rest of the championship.
