Asian Games 2023: Jyothi Yarraji Wins Silver Medal In Women's 100m Hurdles After Controversial 'Disqualification'

India's Jyothi Yarraji won silver in the women's 100m hurdles at the Asian Games 2023 on Sunday amid high controversy and drama in Hangzhou.

She was first disqualified for a false start and then allowed to run the race pending a post-race review.

The official announcement regarding the controversial decision came about half an hour after the race ended as Jyothi's bronze was upgraded to the silver medal.

 

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Followingly, the Chinese athlete who finished second was disqualified and not reinstated.

The controversial instance took place when China's Yanni Wu made a false start before the race had started, Jyothi was second off the blocks. However, both were disqualified, leading to a lot of trackside debating and reasoning with the officials.

However, the replays of the start showed that Yarraji had her hands touching the ground when the gun went off and this sparked controversy with the Indian athletics community registering quick and disappointing reactions.

The officials, after seeing multiple replays on the trackside screen, showed the red card to Wu and Jyothi. A red card meant both athletes were disqualified and would not be allowed to participate in the race.

Jyothi decided to protest against the decision and asked why she was being penalized.

They saw the replay a few more times which clearly showed that Wu had made the start and Jyothi reacted to her movement and not the other way around.

 

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Lin Yuwei from China clinched the gold with a personal best time of 12.74 seconds. Japan's Yumi Tanaka, initially fourth, clocked 13.04 seconds and bagged the bronze medal.

The medal list remained unconfirmed for a while after the race concluded with Indians waiting for the result. Asian Games updated their list and confirmed that Yarraji had been promoted to the silver position after China's Wu Yanni was disqualified.