Indian mixed relay team's Asian Games medal upgraded to gold
Jul 23, 2020
New Delhi [India], July 23 : The Indian 4x400 mixed relay quartet comprising of Mohammed Anas, MR Poovamma, Hima Das and Arokia Rajiv in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta has been upgraded to gold medal position from silver.
The Bahrain squad, which finished first in the 4x400 mixed relay final, was disqualified with Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain being handed a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for failing a dope test.
Also, Anu Raghavan moved from fourth place to a bronze medal position in the women's 400m hurdles.
Athletics Federation of India (AFI) President Adille J Sumariwalla said AFI is delighted to see the World Athletics website ranking India's 4x400m mixed relay squad as the winner of the Asian Games and Anu Raghavan as the bronze medal winner of the women's 400m hurdles.
"The additional medal takes our tally to 20, including eight gold and nine silver. The news comes as a fillip to us as we are aiming to build on the Asian Games showing and make a mark at the global level in the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year," Sumariwalla said in a statement.
"The 4x400m relay squad will be particularly pleased that it now has two gold and a silver from Jakarta. We are confident that under coach Galina Bukharina's guidance, the relay squad will perform well," he added.
The 4x400m mixed relay team of Mohammed Anas, MR Poovamma, Hima Das and Arokia Rajiv had finished in 3:15.71 after Hima Das was obstructed by Oluwakemi Adekoya, who was sprawling on the track after the second baton exchange.
India now is the first winner of the event introduced in the Asian Games in 2018 in keeping with the international bid to find gender balance.
Anu Raghavan had clocked her fastest time of 2018, 56.77 seconds in finishing fourth in the hurdles final while her team-mate Jauna Murmu's second fastest (57.48) gave her the fifth place. Adekoya's disqualification saw them move to higher places.
