The gold, silver and bronze medal winners in the Asian Games men’s 800 metres race were disqualified on Wednesday in a new storm to hit the athletics contest. Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Mohammed, Musaab Bala of Qatar and Abraham Kipchirchir Rotich of Bahrain, who finished first, second and third, all had their results cancelled. The drama comes just days after Bahrain's Ruth Jebet was, on an India protest, stripped of her steeplechase win as she was about to step onto the victory podium, only to be reinstated the next day. The Incheon Asiad’s official website said Mohammed was disqualified for obstruction, while Bala and Rotich were penalised for breaking lane regulations.
Just after the bell for the last lap, Mohammed faltered and appeared to grab Rotich's shirt, almost pulling off his bib number. The ruling means Iraq’s Adnan Taess Akkar provisionally moves up to take the gold, with Teng Haining of China on silver and Jamal Haraine of Qatar bronze.But a Saudi official said, the team were appealing against the disqualification, adding that Mohammed had stumbled innocently and had not impeded the Bahraini.
A Qatari official said their delegation had also protested. Teenager Jebet’s win was taken away because she stumbled and put a foot in the infield, but the ruling was reversed after officials decided she had gained no advantage by the slip.In an 800m race packed with incident at Incheon's Asiad Main Stadium, Bahrain’s Yusuf Saad Kamal fell on the first lap and was later seen limping heavily as he returned to the dressing room.