A wave of uncertainty has beclouded Isaac Makwala’s participation in the men’s 400m final, following indications that the sprinter may be suffering from a bout of gastroenteritis, which led to him withdrawing from the 200m heats on Monday.
The Botswana athlete’s dream of going for the 200m/400m in London suffered a setback as he could no longer compete in the 200m, while his fans would be hoping that he is fit enough to contest the 400m final holding in the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.
The former African Champion had been tipped to make the podium, following his brilliant displays in the heats and semis.
Makwala doesn’t appear to be the only victim of the breakout, going by the press release of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the London World Championships which went thus:
“There have been a number of cases of gastroenteritis reported by team members residing within one of the official team hotels for the World Championships.
“Those affected have been supported by both team and LOC medical staff, in addition we have been working with Public Health England to ensure the situation is managed and contained.
“As a result, further advice and guidelines have been issued to team doctors and support staff – standard procedure for such an occurrence where a number of teams are occupying championship accommodation.”
