Usain Bolt has retained his Olympic title in the second fastest time on record.
Hardly the most sensible of things to do, especially when sitting next to Dutchwoman Edith Bosch, a black belt in judo who won a bronze medal at the Games.
She gave him a slap around the head before he was removed from the stadium and arrested by the metropolitan police.
London 2012 chief Sebastian Coe confirmed on Monday that a "zero tolerance" policy was in place and that any one contemplating a similar act of lunacy would be treated harshly.
"Throwing a bottle on to the field of play is unacceptable and it's not just unacceptable at an Olympic Games, it's unacceptable at any sports venue," Coe told reporters on Monday.
"The guy was removed and anybody that does that in future will be removed. There is zero tolerance to anything like that."
"I am not suggesting vigilantism but it was actually poetic justice that they did happen to be sitting next to a judo player," Coe added.
A police spokesperson said a man had been heard shouting abuse and was then seen throwing a bottle, which landed behind the sprinters just after the starter told the runners to "set".
Show-stopping race
Luckily the bottle ended up behind the runners and the show-stopping race went off in style with Bolt retaining his Olympic title in the second fastest time on record.
There have been many notable fan "interventions" at major sporting occasions over the years, ranging from the downright dangerous to the mildly amusing and bemusing.
This year's annual Oxford versus Cambridge rowing race was stopped halfway by 35-year-old Trenton Oldfield who swam into the path of the boats, narrowly avoiding the swishing oars.
In 2003 former priest Neil Horan, dressed in a kilt, ran across the track at the British Formula One Grand Prix as cars raced towards him at 200mph.
A year later he bundled the race leader Vanderlei de Lima off the course at the Olympic Marathon in Athens.
In 1993 James Miller parachuted into the ring as Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe fought for the world heavyweight boxing title at Caesar's Palace and was promptly beaten up by spectators.
Portuguese footballer Luis Figo had a pig's head thrown at him when returning to play a match at Barcelona having signed for arch-rivals Real Madrid. – Reuters