New Delhi: The Indian 4x400m mixed relay team’s silver medal in the 2018 Asian Games has been upgraded to gold. This declaration came Thursday after the disqualification of original winners Bahrain. The disqualification was handed to the Bahrain 4x400m relay team as one of the runners failed a dope test.
Bahrain had topped the 4×400 mixed relay final, was disqualified after Kemi Adekoya was handed a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for failing a dope test.
Besides this, Anu Raghavan’s fourth-place finish in the women’s 400m hurdles event has been upgraded to bronze medal after the AIU annulled the results of Adekoya. She had originally won the race.
The Indian quartet of Mohammed Anas, MR Poovamma, Hima Das and Arokia Rajiv had clocked 3:15:71 seconds behind Bahrain (3:11:89s). Raghavan had clocked 56.92 to finish fourth in the final race in Jakarta.
Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla said the body is delighted to see the World Athletics website ranking India’s 4x400m mixed relay team as the winner of the Asian Games and Anu Raghavan as the bronze winner in 400m hurdles. “The additional medals take our tally to 20, including eight gold and nine silver,” he said.
“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,” added Sumariwala. He said the 4x400m relay squad will be particularly pleased that it now has two gold and a silver from Jakarta.