Asian Games: Chinese athlete Wu apologizes to Jyothi Yarraji for THIS-

There was a massive controversy erupted at the Asian Games due to a high-voltage drama created by China's Wu Yanni which India's Jyothi Yarraji was dragged into. Yarraji, who won India's first-ever 100m hurdles medal, had to be involved in this mess.

 

 

Saying she is sorry to all the other athletes in the 100m final, especially 'Indian player Jyothi Yarraji', Wu said she respects the decision of the officials to disqualify her and that she needs to work on her starting technique.

 

"I would like to express my deep apology to all the friends who supported me, and also to the players. I would like to say to everyone, I'm sorry! I respect the final decision of the referee team and the rules of the game. My starting technique needs to be improved, and my mentality needs to be readjusted. I really wanted to win the final," Wu wrote on Chinese social media website Weibo on Monday.

 

"To the Indian player Jyothi Yarraji, who was next to me, (I want to say) there was a misjudgment and I'm really sorry," she said.

 

 

Wu Yanni, a 25-year-old member of the Chinese athletics team, has been under severe scrutiny for causing one of the most controversial moments of the ongoing Asian Games - not just in India, but also in the host country.

 

The women’s 100mH was the final event of the day on Sunday with two Chinese runners – Yuwei Lin and Yanni Wu – among the favourites for gold. There was a false start at the beginning of the race and to the naked eye, it was clear that Wu, in Lane 4, was the culprit, being more than a step ahead.

 

This does not end here. The officials looked at the replays and, surprisingly, came and showed the ‘Disqualified’ card to Jyothi, who was in the adjacent lane. The Indian national record holder protested and sought to check the replays herself. Athletics Federation of India (AFI) authorities confirmed that after protest, the officials checked again and corrected their decision, reinstating Jyothi.

 

That led to Wu protesting and seeking permission to run under protest, which is allowed by rule, and finished second while Jyothi finished third, provisionally taking bronze. However, the final result sheet disqualified Wu while Jyothi was awarded silver.

 

She was criticised not only for her false start and subsequent argument with the officials despite clear video replays, but also grabbing a Chinese flag at the end of the race to celebrate her silver medal (which was later rescinded), leaving gold medallist Yuwei Lin without a national flag for a few moments.

 

 

Jyothi, for her part, has refused to blame Wu for the incident, saying that she too is an athlete like her, but said that 'cheating' should never be appreciated in any sport.

 

Jyothi's coach James Hillier, meanwhile, said that the Chinese girls were scared of Jyothi even before the race.

 

"There was a lot of tension before the race, in the warm-up Jyothi told me Wu kept looking at her a lot. They were worried about Jyothi, they knew how good she is...China is a tough place to come and run. I'd like to see those Chinese girls come to India and compete with her," Hillier said.