A devastated Sally Pearson has been denied a Commonwealth Games 100m gold medal in the most heartbreaking manner.

Hours after doing a joyous victory lap, believing she had become the first Australian in 36 years to win a Commonwealth 100m title, Pearson was stunned to be told she had been disqualified for a false-start following a successful protest by the English team.

Australia lodged an immediate counter-appeal, but it was turned down by the IAAF jury of appeal.

"I guess I'm just numb right now ... I'm obviously devastated and disappointed," said Pearson, her voice quivering with emotion.

"Of course (I thought the counter-appeal could succeed), that's why we fight, that's why we want justice.

"But it didn't go my way today and that's what I have to deal with.

"I'm just going to use my emotions and my anger and my disappointment and put it into the hurdles and hope that I can come out on top."

The race began in a whirl of controversy, with England's Laura Turner disqualified for a false start, although it appeared that Pearson had also jumped the gun.

The official timing showed that Turner got out of the blocks one thousandth of a second before the Australian, although both had been quicker than the legal reaction time.

Confusingly, Turner was allowed to return to the blocks and contest the final, although she finished last as Pearson stormed home to win in 11.28 seconds ahead of Osayemi Oludamola of Nigeria (11.32) and Natasha Mayers of St Vincent and the Grenadines (11.37), with England's Katherine Endacott fourth.

As a result of Pearson's disqualification they all moved up one place, with Oludamola getting the gold medal.

Pearson said the worst aspect of the affair - which dragged on for nearly four hours - was that she had been on her way to the victory ceremony, having been told by officials that there was nothing wrong.

"No-one could tell me what (the protest) was about, who it was against and that's probably the most disappointing thing, because I still thought I was alright," she said.

"I was getting told all these different stories and I was never once told the truth, never once told what was going on and I don't think that's fair."

The Beijing Olympics 100m hurdles silver medallist only decided to race the 100m flat in Delhi three weeks ago - and then kept the decision secret until race eve because she didn't want to be burdened with public expectations of a golden double.

Although Pearson had not contested both events at a major championships since 2007, she has always been a very accomplished flat sprinter, as evidenced by her four 100m national titles.

The field for the final in Delhi was weakened by the absence of the fastest seven Commonwealth runners of 2010, including world rankings leader Veronica Campbell-Brown and fellow Jamaican and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser, who is serving a six-month drugs ban.

Pearson must now put aside the devastation and turn her attention to her favoured 100m hurdles, with the opening round scheduled for Sunday evening.

By comparison with the women's blue riband sprint, the men's 100m final was a low-key affair with Jamaican Lerone Clarke's gold medal effort of 10.12 the slowest in a Commonwealth final since countryman Don Quarrie in 1974.

England's Mark Lewis-Francis was second in 10.20 and Aaron Armstrong of Trinidad and Tobago claimed the bronze in 10.24. Australian sprinter Aaron Rouge-Serret completed an encouraging couple of days by finishing fifth in 10.30 in his debut outing in an individual event at a major international championships.

Almost lost amid all the drama was Australian Dale Stevenson's bronze medal in the men's shot put, achieved with a personal best of 19.99m.

John Salvado
AAP