Wu Yanni apologises to all competitors including Yarraji after false start drama in 100m hurdle
Hangzhou (PTI): Chinese national team athlete Wu Yanni has tendered an unconditional apology to India's Jyothi Yarraji over the false start drama that unfolded during Sunday's women's 100 hurdles final at the Asian Games.
"I am very sorry that my result was disqualified due to a false start, disappointing everyone's expectations. I deeply apologize to all my friends who have supported me and to the competitors in tonight's race," Wu wrote on her official account on Weibo, Chinese Twitter-like social media platform.
"I respect the referee's final decision, respect the rules and the competition, and congratulate my teammates and opponents who finished the race."
Drama unfolded in the last event of the day at the 'Big Lotus' stadium when the women's 100m hurdles was stopped after the gun was fired. Replays clearly showed that Chinese runner Wu Yanni was responsible for the false start as she got off the blocks even before the gunshot was taken.
The judges reviewed the start of the race at the on-field screen and then disqualified Yanni. But to the surprise of the Indian camp, Yarraji was also told that she would be out due to false start.
Yarraji stood her ground for a while and protested and the race was held up for a few minutes.
In sprint races, under 100 millisecond rule, any athlete who reacts within 100 milliseconds (0.100 second) of the gun going off is considered to have false started.
Later, the judges allowed both of them to compete and Yanni finished second behind her Chinese compatriot Lin Yuwei (12.74) while Yarraji (13.04) was third.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi remains warm, temperature hits 30.5 degrees C
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi remained warmer than usual on Monday, with no rainfall reported across key weather stations, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
According to the IMD, Safdarjung, the city's base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 30.5 degrees Celsius, clocking five degrees above normal temperature, while the minimum settled at 11.8 degrees Celsius. The Ridge area was the warmest at 31 degrees Celsius, followed by Ayanagar at 30.4 degrees Celsius and Lodi Road at 30.1 degrees Celsius. Palam recorded a comparatively lower maximum of 28.6 degrees Celsius.
While the Safdarjung weather station recorded a minimum of 11.8 degrees Celsius, Palam recorded 13 degrees Celsius, and Lodhi Road recorded 12 degrees Celsius, according to IMD data.
The weather department has predicted mist on Tuesday with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to reach around 30 and 13 degrees Celsius, respectively. The IMD said no rainfall was recorded in the region during the observation period, indicating continued dry weather conditions.
The air quality was recorded in the 'poor' category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 221, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
