Hangzhou Asian Games

Jyothi Yarraji wins silver after Chinese officials attempt to disqualify her

Hangzhou: India's Jyothi Yarraji won the silver medal in women's 100m hurdles at the Asian Games Athletics competition in dramatic fashion after the race officials made an attempt to get her disqualified along with Chinese competitor Wu Yanni who made a false start.

The Chinese officials tried to also disqualify Jyothi, though she was slower than the Chinese runner and then allowed both of them to compete under protest as Jyothi remonstrated with the officials.

Jyothi ran the race and finished third with the timing of 12.91, behind the two Chinese runners, the one disqualified earlier finishing second ahead of the Indian.

But the Indian officials protested within minutes of the race getting completed

The officials eventually disqualified the Chinese runner Yanni Wu and upgraded Jyothi's medal to silver.

"In my entire life as an athlete I have never seen such a thing -- officials first disqualify an athlete and then bringing her back. They tried to throw Jyothi out but she did not make any false start, her hands were touching the track when the Chinese runner was already a step and half ahead. We lodged a protest immediately," said Anju Bobby George, who is senior vice-president of Athletics Federation of India.

The Indian protest seemed to have worked and the officials finally took the correct decision.

But the entire drama and the illegal attempt to get her disqualified seemed to have affected Jyothi as she could not give her best.

"I don't know much about the rules but I was clear, I did not make a false start," Jyothi told the media later in the mixed zone.