HEARTBROKEN Adam Gemili apologised for letting a world medal slip through his fingers, saying: I ran like an amateur.
But the Londoner has vowed to stand on the 200m podium at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics next summer.
Team GB’s Adam Gemili issued an apology after letting a medal slip through his grasp in DohaCredit: Reuters
Adam Gemili cut a dejected figure after finishing fourth in the Men’s 200m FinalCredit: Sportsfile
The 25-year-old led off the bend and was in pole position in the final with 40m left.
Yet his top speed let him down and he was overtaken by American gold medallist Noah Lyles (19.83), Canadian Andre de Grasse (19.95) and Ecuador’s Alex Quinonez (19.98).
Gemili, who finished with 20.03 seconds, missed out on 2016 Olympic bronze by 0.003secs.
And this time he said: “I’m gutted. I had it. I lost my balance. I had nothing left at the end. All my form went out of the window.
“I ran like an amateur, I cannot believe it, I came so close. This was such a good chance.
“I’m sorry, I feel like I have let down so many people. To not break 20 seconds is so disappointing and heart-breaking.
“I had the medal and it slipped out of my hands.”
Gemili was unhappy he been brutally downgraded to relay runner position status by selectors last winter.
He said: “I have to take the positives. I had been labelled a relay runner, I had been written off, and it shows you need a group of tight-knit people around you.
“It hasn’t happened today, but it has relit something inside me. If I go to Tokyo it’s winnable.”
Gemili added: “Fourth is the same as eighth or 16th, it makes no difference. Unless you’re on the podium who cares.”
Dina Asher-Smith could probably run with an egg and spoon tonight and still win the world title – such is her dominance over the 200m field this season.
The Londoner, the 100m world silver medallist, qualified fastest with a time of 22.16 seconds – 0.30 seconds quicker than American Brittany Brown.
And with Jamaican Olympic champion Elaine Thompson pulling out with Achilles pain, everything is in place for Asher-Smith to become world champion for the first time.
Matt Hudson-Smith suffered one of the cruellest exits imaginable.
The European 400m champion pulled up with a hamstring injury on the FIRST CORNER of his heat.
He ended up being taken away in a wheelchair to be seen by the British Athletics medical team.
Hudson-Smith, 24, has hardly run this year because of an unspecified injury and it is not known if this was connected to his issue.
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Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
