One of the Sydney Olympics’ most heartbreaking moments was the disqualification of walker Jane Saville just a few hundred metres from the finish line.

Ray Hadley explained how the judging process for the 20km walking event led to the down-to-wire decision.

“We always thought it was an Australian … who put the paddle up.

“Well it wasn’t – it was in fact a very respected Italian walking judge.

“He’s been blamed for it over the years … [but] the person who whipped out the red cards was not the person who disqualified Jane Saville!”

Click PLAY below to hear the full explanation and Ray’s call of the race

Image: Getty Images/Stu Forster/ALLSPORT