Controversy erupts as India's Jyothi Yarraji dragged in Chinese athlete's false start drama, sparks outrage

Jyothi Yarraji ultimately finished third in the women's 100m hurdles event, clocking in at 12.91 seconds.

Jyothi Yarraji

What unfolded in the women's 100m hurdles final was nothing short of drama! India's Jyothi Yarraji and Nithya Ramraj were geared up for the women's 100m Hurdles Final, poised at the start line.

However, as the countdown for the race began, a Chinese athlete Yanni Wu committed a false start. While it was evident that she would be disqualified, a surprising turn of events occurred when the jury also issued a false start card to Jyothi Yarraji.

READ | Asian Games LIVE updates: India's Jyothi Yarraji finishes third in women's 100m hurdles event

The Chinese athlete argued that she saw Yarraji move, prompting her to start running. Nevertheless, video replays clearly demonstrated that the Indian athlete began her movement after the Chinese athlete had already gotten up and started running.

Amidst considerable confusion, the jury made an unprecedented decision, allowing both athletes to continue running and postponing the judgment on the false start until after the race.

Jyothi Yarraji ultimately finished third in the women's 100m hurdles event, clocking in at 12.91 seconds. However, it has been confirmed that she got upgraded to silver in women's 100m hurdles after China's Yanni Wu was disqualified.

The Indian fans expressed dissatisfaction with the dramatic turn of events with many saying, "China is winning medals by cheating".

Although not officially confirmed, some athletes indirectly expressed the view that the rules seemed to favour the Chinese athletes at the Asian Games 2023. In track and field events, numerous athletes had been disqualified for false starts, but this was the first instance where an athlete was allowed to continue racing despite committing a false start.

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