After about 15 minutes of confusion, all eight of the runners in the heat were led away from the starting blocks to the warm-up area, and the runners in the next heat were brought onto the track to run their race.
Later, Drummond was officially disqualified, and he did not appear for the rerun of his heat. He was seen sobbing uncontrollably and rolling on the grass as his coach, John Smith, tried to console him. He also jumped into the water in the steeplechase pit at the practice track.
Under new rules for international track, only one false start by anyone in a race is allowed. After that, any athlete called for jumping the gun is automatically disqualified. Previously, each athlete was allowed two false starts before disqualification.
Jamaica's Dwight Thomas was called for the first false start in Drummond's heat. Then both Drummond and Jamaica's Asafa Powell were called for the second. TV replays were inconclusive, but a computer showed that Drummond had left the blocks early.
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After being overshadowed by the chaos that reigned in the quarterfinals, Maurice Greene, the three-time defending champion, and Tim Montgomery, the world-record holder, hope to regain the spotlight today in the 100 meters.
Both Greene and Montgomery were clocked in 10.04 seconds in the quarterfinals - the best time for either in a summer that has been a struggle for both.
In the shadow of the absent Marion Jones, who is sitting out a year for the birth of her son, and the brouhaha in the men's 100 meters, Kelli White claimed her first world championship with speed and grace.
White, 26, with only a slight scar above her left eye as evidence of a horrific knife attack nine years ago, won the women's 100 meters in 10.85 seconds. It was a 1-2 finish for the Americans, with Torri Edwards second at 10.93.
Pro basketball
Allison Feaster hit two three-pointers in overtime as the Charlotte Sting clinched a playoff berth with a 61-59 home victory over the New York Liberty in the WNBA.
The Liberty, the defending Eastern Conference champions, were eliminated from playoff contention.
The Cleveland Rockers, who host Charlotte tonight, are contending for one of the last two playoff spots in the East. The Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever, who play in Indianapolis tonight, are the other two contenders.
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All-star forward Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks suffered a sprained left ankle while playing for the German national team in Braunschweig, Germany. An MRI exam showed no bone or ligament damage, a Mavericks spokeswoman said.
Tennis
Top seed Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand dominated James Blake of the United States, 6-2, 6-4, to win the TD Waterhouse Cup in Commack, N.Y., for the second straight year.
Soccer
Brazil scored two goals in a three-minute span in the second half and beat the United States, 3-0, in the quarterfinals of the Under-17 World Soccer Championships in Turku, Finland.
Ante Razov scored with four minutes left to give the Chicago Fire a 2-1 Major League Soccer victory over the MetroStars in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Fire (11-4-6) remained unbeaten in their last seven matches and widened their lead over the second-place MetroStars (8-6-7) in the Eastern Conference.
Ramiro Corrales scored in the 80th minute to lead the San Jose Earthquakes past D.C. United, 1-0, in San Jose, Calif.
The win extended the Earthquakes' lead in the Western Conference to 11 points over second-place Kansas City.
Water polo
The U.S. national team beat Serbia, 11-9, to take third place at the New York FINA World League Super Final in East Meadow. In the championship game at Eisenhower Park, the Hungarian team defeated Italy, 13-8, to earn an automatic bid to next year's Athens Olympics.
Golf
Lee Williams, the NCAA tournament runner-up, and 50-year-old George Zahringer were chosen as the final two members of the U.S. Walker Cup team.
The Americans will play Great Britain and Ireland on Sept. 6 and 7 at Ganton Golf Club in North Yorkshire, England. The United States leads the series by 31-6-1, but Great Britain/Ireland won in 1999 and 2001.
Noteworthy
North Korea threatened to pull out of the World University Games after a brawl between North Korean reporters and human-rights activists protesting the communist country's leader. The melee took place in Daegu, South Korea.
