Azu, who had high expectations following a sub-10-second performance earlier this year, saw his Olympic dreams come to a sudden end when he jumped the gun this afternoon. Despite his pleas to run under protest, officials denied the 23-year-old, and his formal appeal was rejected, ending his solo Olympic campaign.
Footage of the incident shows the Welsh sprinter moving slightly before the starting gun fired. As officials deliberated, Azu returned to the starting line, hoping for a chance to compete.
Azu will have a chance to redeem himself next week in the 4x100m relay. The crowd remained speculative about his participation as the loudspeaker confirmed his disqualification, causing Azu to spend time protesting while his competitors prepared to restart the race.
Ultimately, Azu was escorted from the arena, his aspirations for a medal in the prestigious event dashed. After the race, he told the BBC that he "reacted to a sound."