Brizzel caught out by camera

IT was one of the biggest televised races of Paul Brizzel’s life. In the end, it was one of the cameras that cost him his chance of glory.

The Irish runner was forced to do a solo 200 metres run after the organisers of the European Championships bungled again in Munich.

Brizzel had to duck out of the way of an overhanging camera moments after starting his original heat in the Olympic Stadium.

The emergency action obviously cost him time and he finished last in 21.32secs in a heat won by Britain’s Marlon Devonish.

Officials decided he could do the race again at the end of the morning’s programme.

Brizzel, again in the outside lane and with no one else in the race, finished in 21.19 secs to miss out on a place in the second round.

Ireland’s team management protested that the whole race should have been rerun but this was thrown out by the Jury of Appeal.

“I am very annoyed,” said the Ballymena runner, whose personal best is much faster than the times he posted in the first round.

“I went out there mentally prepared to run well. The proper outcome would have been for them to run the race again.

“Fair play to them for giving me another chance but running on your own is difficult, although the crowd gave me every encouragement.

“I suppose I am lucky that I did not end up in intensive care with stitches in my head,” he said.

It was the third embarrassing incident of the championships, which are only three days old.

Britain’s Anthony Whiteman was left fuming after his 1,500metres heat on Tuesday when he had to jump over a cable before narrowly avoiding a collision with a cameraman.

Then the winner of the men’s 20km walk, Spain’s Francisco Fernandez, had to push aside an official who suddenly stepped out in front of him just metres from the entry to the stadium.