Olympic 100m bottle thrower goes on trail

A man accused of a public disorder offence after throwing a bottle onto the track at the start of the 100 metres Olympic final will stand trial today.

By Declan Whooley

One of the most eagerly anticipated events in the London Games was the showdown among the fastest sprinters in the world, but Ashley Gill-Webb was arrested after the bottle-throwing incident last August.

He has pleaded not guilty to using threatening words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment or distress, as well as using threatening, abusive or insulting words. His defence lawyer has said that the ‘physical behaviour’ of Gill-Webb was not going to be in dispute.

After the alleged throwing of the bottle, Gill-Webb was hit on the back by Dutch judo champion Edith Bosch who was near him in the crowd. The bronze medallist lashed out after the incident caused her to miss the race.

An Olympics spokesperson said that the incident had no impact on the competitors or the event despite coming at the very start, though American sprinter Justin Gatlin said at the time that it was a ‘distraction’.

“I didn't know what it was, but when you're in those blocks, and the whole stadiums quiet, you can hear a pin drop,” he said.

It didn’t seem to slow down Usain Bolt in any case.