Segura loses appeal

Segura (l) before he found out he had been disqualified

Mexican walker Bernardo Segura has lost his appeal against disqualification in the Olympic men's 20 km walk, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said on Saturday.

A three-person CAS panel found that even though Segura was not shown a red card until 15 minutes after he crossed the finish line in first place, the delay did not invalidate the disqualification.

"As a result, the panel rules that the disqualification must be upheld," a CAS statement said.

Segura had already completed his victory lap in Sydney's Olympic Stadium draped in the Mexican flag and was speaking to President Ernesto Zedillo on the telephone, with television cameras rolling, when a judge showed him a red card.

Segura was ruled to have failed to maintain continuous contact with the ground during a spectacular finish.