“Cheating should not be appreciated”: Jyothi Yarraji on false start controversy in women’s 100m hurdles

Hangzhou [China], October 2 (ANI): After winning the silver medal in the Women’s 100m Hurdles at the 19th Asian Games amidst a false start controversy on Sunday, Jyothi Yarraji said that cheating should never be appreciated in any sport. 

While speaking to ANI, the Indian hurdler accepted that it was a horrible experience for her but she was happy in the end since she won the silver medal later. 

“It was a horrible experience, I just want to say that cheating should never be appreciated in any sport. After a lot of drama, I finally won the silver medal and I am happy since this was my first Asian Games,” Yarraji told ANI. 

While explaining the situation, Jyothi Yarraji said that she was focusing on running the best time in the race but the officials gave her a false starting warning. The Indian athlete added that her team protested and was later awarded the silver medal.  

Yarraji further added that she felt sad for the Chinese hurdler since she performed well to reach this stage. 

“Actually, before the start of the race, I tried to focus on doing the best timing and suddenly they gave me the false starting warning. I was shocked and after the race, we protested. I felt bad for the Chinese athlete since even though she performed well to reach here however we have to accept what it is. Now I will give myself rest for one week then will start preparation for the upcoming Paris Olympics,” Yarraji added. 

The 24-year-old Indian hurdler was initially awarded the bronze medal. However, China’s Wu Yanni was disqualified after the race, upgrading Yarraji’s medal to a silver.

Yarraji clocked 12.91s to secure the silver medal in the women’s 100m Hurdles final. China’s Yuwei Lin bagged the gold medal with a time of 12.74s, while Japan’s Yumi Tanaka clinched the bronze.

Yanni Wu, who finished the race in second place was disqualified due to a false start.

At first, the race officials demanded both the Indian and Chinese be disqualified for a false start, which Yarraji and the Indian contingent strongly oppose.

After a lot of discussion, the two athletes were allowed to compete in the race under review.

The review process continued after the race, which delayed the formal announcement of the result. Later, due to Wu’s penalty for false starts in accordance with TR16.8, Yarraji was awarded the silver medal.