BEIJING - In the most stunning moment so far of the 2015 IAAF World Championships, men’s 400m hurdle favorite Bershawn “Batman” Jackson was bounced out of the competition Saturday evening with his seventh place finish in heat four.

His finishing time of 50.14 was more than two seconds slower than his season’s best, remarkable considering the quality form that the 32-year-old has shown throughout 2015. The U.S. champion has run 48.09 for the distance this season, the fastest time in the world for 2015.

Jackson was in disbelief after the race as he noted that his technique went sour from the get-go.



“The first hurdle, I had to reach for it. The first hurdle is the most important hurdle, it starts your race out. I slowed down and took my time, the race was getting too far away from me,” Jackson said, clearly stunned after the performance in Beijing National Stadium.

Even coming over the final hurdle, Jackson still looked out of sorts as he awkwardly stuttered in front of the barrier, a key moment while he was working to get back in the race. This would inevitably doom any hopes he had of getting back into the top four in the final sprint for home as his momentum was gone with the finish line just ahead.

The 2005 World Champion faded back to seventh and was left to pick up the pieces of what appeared to be such a promising season.

Tonight marked the first time in his storied career that Jackson failed to advance out of the first round of the World Championships.

“I had such a promising season, felt really good and confident. It was just one of those days that I just felt bad,” Jackson said.