Athletes have heavily criticised the track, saying it has caused several injuries and exacerbated long-standing injuries they had coming into the competition. The 200 metres favourite, Ato Boldon of Trinidad, said that though the track was built for sprinters it was very hard and was still giving him trouble in the areas where he suffered cramp during the 100 metres final on Sunday. "It's really making life difficult out there for me. It's hard enough concentrating on beating some great sprinters when you have to deal with the pain, and that track sure isn't making it easy," Boldon said. Frankie Fredericks, the 1993 world 200 metres champion, also complained about the track. "I have had a right knee injury all season but it has really flared up here and I need constant physio treatment," he said. It is ironic that the sprinters are complaining about the hardness of the track, as 10,000 metres champion Haile Gebrselassie believed the surface would blister his feet like the Atlanta surface had last year. Jos Hermens, Gebrselassie's mentor and manager, put his finger on the situation why the sprinters were suffering as they did. "Haile runs on his toes like a sprinter. If the sprinters are complaining then that says a lot about what we were worried about in the first place," Hermens said. "Maybe the solution is just to have the 10,000 metres runners lining up for just one 100 metres dash and sorting it out like that. If the track is built for sprinters then we should play them at their game." Hermens said.