Controversy struck in the ongoing National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi as Merlin K Joseph's new national record timing in women's 100m dash was today questioned by Rachita Mistry in whose name the record had stood since 2000.
Merlin ran 11.35 secs yesterday in the semifinal heats to shatter Mistry's 13-year-old national record of 11.38 secs created in Trivandrum in 2000. She has a personal best of 11.75 secs before yesterday's national record.
What has raised suspicion in Merlin's national record timing was that she clocked 12.07secs in the first round heats before the semifinals and then finished third in the final with a timing of 11.95 secs. Her record though is yet to be ratified by Athletics Federation of India.
Mistry, an Olympian and a top sprinter of 1990s, said she suspected either a faulty timing system or some people were playing mischief as such a gap in timings was hard to believe in 100m race. She has written a letter to the AFI to find out the correct position.
"It's unbelievable if you see the big gap in the three timings. She (Merlin) clocked 12.07 secs in first round heats and then out of blue ran 11.35 secs in semifinal heats. Then again she clocked 11.95 secs in the final to finish third," Mistry told PTI from Mumbai.
"A gap of 0.72 secs between first round and semifinal is a huge one and it's 100m dash and not marathon and everybody knows how far you can run in a second in 100m. Then she ran 11.95 secs in final. I agree she ran the final one hour after semifinal and she must be a bit tired. But still, a difference of 0.6 secs is a huge one and I don't believe this," she said.
"Either the timing system is faulty or otherwise somebody was doing that intentionally. I have written to AFI to find out the correct position," she added.
A senior AFI official, who has been associated in organising national events for many years, also said that it was certain something must have gone wrong during the competition.
