Asian Games 2023: Jyothi Yarraji clinches silver in 100m hurdles despite 'bias' from Chinese officials

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Asian Games Athletics: India's ace athlete Jyothi Yarraji bagged a silver medal in the women's 100m hurdles event in the Asian Games 2023 on Sunday (October 1) as India continued a terrific run in the track-and-field event.

Yarraji - the Asian-level champion - came third with a timing of 12.91 after Chinese duo Yuwei Lin (12.74 seconds) and Yanni Wu (12.77 seconds) came first and second.

Asian Games 2023: Controversy hits women's 100m Hurdles Final

Wu, however, was disqualified by the officials, which resulted in the upgrade of the 24-year-old Indian athlete's bronze medal to silver. While India's Nithiya Ramraj finished seventh with a timing of 13.40 seconds.

The race had its fair share of controversy which forced the Indian Athletics Federation (AFI) to register its complaint and fight for justice. The officials listened to the strong protest from the Indian camp which resulted in the disqualification of the Chinese athlete.

The controversy erupted when Chinese track officials called out Chinese athlete Yanni Wu, running in lane 5, for making a false start in the race. The players had to return to their position but some seconds later, the Chinese track officials reprimanded Yarraji (lane 4) as well for the same.

A visibly stunned Indian athlete protested saying she didn't make any false start and the replays and reviews confirmed the Indian was correct. The race re-started after the entire drama unfolded for around 5 minutes as the officials allowed Yarraji and Wu to race, claiming to take a call on their result after the completion of the race.

After getting physically and mentally drained due to the unnecessary controversy she was dragged into, Jyothi's entire rhythm was disturbed. And by the time she started picking up, some very crucial seconds in the high-stakes race were wasted.

"Clear bias from Chinese officials, it was drama they created because they wanted the Chinese to run. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) was quick to protest and lodged an official protest for unnecessarily reprimanding the Indian athlete.

Jyothi's hand was on the ground, there was no reason to disqualify her," Anju Bobby George, the current vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India, told The Bridge at the stadium.

Meanwhile, Indian Decathlete Tejaswin Shankar called the entire episode disgraceful and lashed out at Chinese officials for robbing Yarraji of a gold medal. "Jyoti Yarraji was robbed in front of 80,000 people today! Disgraceful by the Chinese athlete," Shankar wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In the heats, Yarraji, an Asian-level champion, showcased her agility and speed in the women's 100m hurdles event with a remarkable timing of 13.03 seconds. This extraordinary achievement not only ensured her place in the finals but placed her as a strong contender for a medal. Nithiya closely followed suit, clocking in at 13.30 seconds and finishing seventh among the top athletes.

Silver medal for Murali Sreeshankar in long jump

Similarly, in the men's long jump event, Murali Sreeshankar bagged a silver medal with a jump of 8.19m. Murali achieved a remarkable jump of 7.97 meters in the qualifying round, securing the second overall spot. Jeswin Johnson finished eighth in the finals with a jump of 7.76m. In the qualifying round, Jewsin came sixth with a leap of 7.67 meters.

Bronze Medal for India in Heptathlon and Discus Throw

In the heptathlon, Nandini Agasara won the bronze medal with 5712 while defending champion Swapna Barman finished fourth with 5708 points. Meanwhile, veteran Seema Punia won a bronze medal in the women's Discuss Throw final in the Asian Games to bag yet another medal.