Athletics Federation of India on Sunday decided not to ratify Merlin K Joseph’s national-record bettering effort in women’s 100m dash last year, setting at rest the controversy regarding the matter.
Controversy had struck in National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi in September last as Joseph’s new national record timing in women’s 100m dash was questioned by Rachita Mistry in whose name the mark had stood since 2000.
Joseph ran 11.35 secs in the semifinal heats to shatter Mistry’s 13-year-old national record of 11.38 secs created in Trivandrum in 2000. Joseph has a personal best of 11.75 secs before the National Open.
Mistry, an Olympian and a top sprinter in the 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 had written a letter to the AFI to find out the correct position. ‘After detailed deliberations in the general body meeting of AFI held here, it was decided NOT to RATIFY the 100m performance (11.35s) of Merlin K Joseph as a National Record due to doubts arised about the above mark,’ AFI said after its two-day AGM.
AFI also said it’s planning to host an international Grand Prix in India. ‘AFI is planning to bring a world-class event to India and we are already in touch with our counterparts in other countries and hopeful they will send their top athletes to participate,’ AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said in a release.
In appreciation of their efforts to promote athletics in India, the ONGC has also been awarded full membership in AFI during the GBM. Earlier, ONGC was an associate member of the federation.