For a man who has given so much to athletics both on an off the track, Frank Fredericks deserved a more fitting farewell. The booing and chanting that delayed the start of the Olympic 200 metres final on Thursday was an unedifying end to the career of an athlete whose very name has become a byword for dignity.
Fredericks, one of the few not to be booed when his name was announced, pleaded with the crowd to allow the starter to do his job yet every time the athletes went into the blocks the booing and the chanting of "Kenteris" rose up again.
The absence of Greek Costas Kenteris, the 2000 Olympic champion who withdrew from the Games after missing a dope test, left a sour taste for the fans who had bought their tickets months ago expecting to see their now fallen hero.
If they could have suppressed their misplaced anger they would have realised they were privileged to watch the final performance of a truly great athlete.
Once the starter finally got them under way at the second attempt Fredericks, as always, gave his all.
