Shaili Singh's long jump mark wrongly measured by officials, will move CAS: AFI
Shaili Singh finished fourth with a best jump of 6.42m on Sunday. India's Ancy Sojan won silver with 6.53m, while China's Huang Yingying took gold with 6.55m on her final attempt. The controversy centres on Shaili's fourth attempt, which was officially measured at 6.41m.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) plans to petition the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding the improper measurement of Shaili Singh's long jump at the Asian Games. The AFI asserts that officials incorrectly measured her fourth jump attempt, which contributed to her missing out on a medal. Shaili concluded the event in fourth place, with a personal best jump of 6.42 meters. India's Ancy Sojan claimed silver with 6.53 meters, while China's Huang Yingying won gold with 6.55 meters on her final attempt.
The dispute revolves around Shaili's fourth attempt, which was officially recorded at 6.41 meters. According to Shaili's mentor and renowned long jumper Anju Bobby George, the measurement was taken from an incorrect mark. Anju observed that Shaili's jump exceeded the gold-winning mark. Initially, the official at the landing pit indicated Shaili's leg mark for the measurement.
However, another official standing further away behind subsequently pointed to a shorter mark. Anju clarified that the measurement was ultimately taken from the mark suggested by the farthest official. The correct method, Anju argued, should have been to measure from the mark indicated by the official closest to the landing pit, as stated by Anju, a bronze medalist in the long jump during the 2003 World Championships.
Shaili also lodged a protest following her attempt, and the officials presented videos of her jump to the Indian team. Anju contended that the officials initially displayed a front-view video, which the team believed could not accurately determine Shaili's landing position. The Indian team requested a side-view video, which the officials claimed was unavailable.
Consequently, the team appealed to the jury, who subsequently deemed the side-view videos insufficient and upheld the original decision. The AFI, led by Anju, who also serves as the senior vice president of the organization, intends to escalate the matter to the CAS, asserting that Shaili was unjustly denied a medal due to the measurement error.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
