Tre Houston, the Bermuda sprinter, suffered heartache after losing his footing out of the starting blocks in his 100 metres heat at Hampden Park yesterday.

Houston’s race was all but over as soon as it began, with the 24-year-old taking a slight stumble while transferring his momentum into an upright position and did well to remain on his feet.

Although he was able to recover sufficiently from his costly error to finish fourth in a time of 10.72sec, the damage had already been done, with Houston struggling to hold back the tears at the end the race.

”I’m absolutely gutted, I don’t know what to say,” a devastated Houston said. ”This was a chance for me to make the semi-finals. I just slipped out [of the starting blocks].

”All that hard work you put in to come a major championships and mess up like that.”

Houston, who was consoled at the end of the race by Judy Simons, the Bermuda Olympic Association president, still has his favoured 200 metres on Wednesday in which to make his mark in Glasgow.

”I’m going to be thinking about [the 100] all night,” said Houston, who finished in joint 38th position overall. “I know I could have won that race. I just don’t know what to say. All I can do is look towards the 200 now.”

Although he would have had to set a personal best to win the heat, with Akani Simbine, of South Africa, crossing the finish line first in 10.32, Houston’s personal best of 10.34 would have been more than quick enough to qualify him for today’s semi-finals.

Houston made his Commonwealth Games debut in New Delhi in 2010, achieving a then personal best in the 100 of 10.45 and reaching the semi-finals in the 200, clocking 21.25.

He ran his quickest 200 at the National Invitational and Club Championships in St Kitts and Nevis last month, posting a time of 20.81.