SPAIN'S Óscar Husillos is 'gutted' after finding out midway through a live interview on national television that he had been disqualified from the World Athletics Championships, lost his gold medal, and that his new world record would not count.
The runner from Astudillo (Palencia province, Castilla y León) completed the 400-metres indoor race in 44.92 seconds, the fastest time ever seen in 30 years, and was in the middle of dedicating his gold medal to his friends, family and trainers on TVE when a 'special envoy' from the channel in Madrid notified the presenters of his disqualification.
He is said to have put part of his foot outside the track.
Exactly the same has happened to the Dominican Republic's Luguelín Santos, who was stripped of his silver just minutes after winning it.
Óscar's gold would have been a third medal for Spain in the world event in Birmingham, UK after the bronzes earned by Ana Peleteiro in the triple hurdles and Saúl Ordóñez in the 800 metres.
“From heaven to hell in seconds for the sake of a few centimetres,” Óscar, 24, wrote on Twitter, “and not without falling into a lake of tears first. A dream come true that vanished in smoke in minutes.
“But please know I won't fall in Berlin – my trainer and I will show what we're really worth.”
Trying to overcome his massive disappointment, Husillos is focusing on the European Athletics Championships in the German capital between August 7 and 12.
The athlete broke his silence last night (Sunday) after the devastating and very public news on Saturday, which meant his gold has now gone to third-placed Pavel Maskal from Czechia, who finished the race in 45.47 seconds, and Santos' silver has gone to fourth-placed Michael Cherry from the USA (45.84 seconds), whilst Deon Lendore from Trinidad has risen from fifth to third and taken the bronze with a 46.37-second finish.
If Óscar had not been disqualified, his time would have been the fastest in the world in the 400 metres for outdoor as well as indoor, since the outdoor record currently sits at 44.96 and was also achieved by a Spaniard, Cayetano Cornet.
Instead, it means Germany's Thomas Schönlebe's 45.05 seconds, achieved on February 5, 1988 remains the world record.
Óscar would have been the third Spaniard to hit the podium in the 400 metres indoor race after Cornet's bronze in Budapest in 1989 and in Sevilla in 1991, Sandra Myers' silver, also in Sevilla.
Husillos has won every one of his nine races this season in 200, 300 and 400 metres, and he also set a new world semi-final speed record with 45.69 seconds on Friday.
After this semi-final race, Husillos admitted he was 'physically wrecked' because he had to 'empty himself completely' to assure his place in the final, having just run three 400-metre races with every ounce of his strength in less than 33 hours.
He was concerned at first that this extreme feat – his toughest yet – would deplete his energy too much to perform well in the final; something he did not need to worry about in the end, since his problems were waiting for much more trivial issues.
He put in an appeal against the decision, but this has since been turned down.
