LONDON , England ● A man was arrested for throwing a plastic bottle at Usain Bolt and the seven other competitors just before the start of the 100 metres final at the Olympics on Sunday, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
A police spokesman said a man had been heard shouting abuse and was then seen throwing a bottle, which landed behind the sprinters just after the starter told the runners to “set”.
The spectator, arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance, was removed from the stadium and taken to a police station in east London.
The spokesman said no one was injured during the incident, which did not disrupt the race – the highlight of the athletics programme at the Games – won by Jamaican Usain Bolt.
Edith Bosch, a bronze medal winner in judo at the Games, told Dutch TV she was standing behind the man when he shouted insults at Bolt before hurling the bottle towards him.
Dutch bronze medal-winning judo competitor Edith Bosch tweeted that she had punched the “drunken” man in the stands.
Earlier she tweeted in Dutch a message which, when translated, says: “A drunken guest throws a bottle for me on the track! I have beaten him….unbelievable! #angry #disrespectful”
Een dronken gast voor mij gooit een flesje op de baan!! IK HEB HEM GESLAGEN…. Ongelofelijk!! #boos #respectloos
— Edith Bosch (@edithbosch) August 5, 2012
The Dutch athlete said she had slapped him around the head before he was taken away by police.
Bolt, who retained his sprint title in an Olympic record time of 9.63 seconds, said he was unaware of the incident.
“I just heard about it, I didn’t actually see it,” he told a news conference, laughing. “I don’t promote violence so I’m sorry to hear that.”
US sprinter Justin Gatlin, who won bronze, said: “It was a little distraction and I didn’t know what it was.
“But when you’re in those blocks and the whole stadium’s quiet you can hear a pin drop.”
Gatlin said the incident had not affected the race.
“You just have to block it out and go out there and do what you got to do. You can’t complain about that, the race went on and it was a great race.”