'I can't accept this': Spaniard fumes after 'cruel' finish in 110m men's hurdles final

Grant Holloway of the United States blazed to his first 110 metres hurdles world title in a dramatic race in which defending champion Omar McLeod of Jamaica fell.

The 21-year-old smoothly glided over 10 hurdles to cross the line in 13.10 seconds, five hundredths of a second ahead of 2015 world champion, Sergey Shubenkov of Russia with bronze going to European champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde of France in 13.18.

Controversially, Spaniard Orlando Ortego looked on track for at least a bronze medal in the final, only to be impeded by McLeod before the Jamaican fell awkwardly having the hurdles.

Ortego was seen being pushed by McLeod during the race, forcing him to slow down and clip a hurdle too. Ortego finished fifth and showed his dismay immediately after the race looking to the side at officials, as Holloway was unaffected and claimed the gold.

"I understand touches, I respect all my rivals the same, but if I'm beaten it will be because they are faster than me. I can't accept this," Ortega reportedly said after the race.

"A year of work for such a beautiful event. The IAAF has to do something, it's not the first time this happens."

On social media numerous athletics fans watching were calling for "justice for Ortega".

The Spanish hurdler's team protested to the IAAF for the race to be re-run by Ortega alone against the clock "as a fair sporting gesture", or if not that, for Ortega to be awarded bronze as that was his position at the time of the incident.

The IAAF said Spain argued that Ortega's "progress was clearly impeded, making it impossible for him to maintain the medal position."

However the appeals jury denied the request, because it said that sort of contact is not unusual in hurdles. They did agree that Ortega had been impeded though.

McLeod was disqualified.