Hero to zero - Oscar's folly

After his shocking defeat in the 200m race on Monday night, which obviously took him by complete surprise having never lost a 200m race before, his reaction came from the heart and not from the head. And the worst was the entire world was watching and listening...

Yes, the next day he apologised - but and this is a big but, was anyone really listening then? And did they really believe it was genuine on his part or did he suddenly realise the massive public relations mistake he'd made.

Rudyard Kipling in the late 1800s said "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." And nothing's changed in the last 212 years...

If you're 'Pisted off', think about what you plan to say. Then don't!

The moral of the story is never face a microphone without thinking about what you're going to say especially when totally pissed off.

This is also true when it comes to Twitter. Recently we've seen how Tweets have also taken down sporting heroes such as Kevin Pietersen - again ill-considered or sent in anger.

So what should Oscar have done? He should have rushed to congratulate Brazilian Alan Oliveira and then taken his own bow, which would have been met with the same adulation he had always received. It would also have meant that next time out he'd be cheered on even more.

Is it now too late? Can he retrieve his golden boy image? Unlikely. The public is funny like that - they can turn as quickly as they love. He'll just have to wait until he walks out on that track later this week for the 400 and 100m races and see if he receives the usual roar from the crowd. Talk about adding pressure...