New Delhi: 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 on Monday questioned by Rachita Mistry in whose name the record had stood since 2000.
Merlin ran 11.35 secs on Sunday in the semi-final 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 Sunday'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 semi-finals 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 semi-final heats. Then again she clocked 11.95 secs in the final to finish third," Mistry said.
"A gap of 0.72 secs between first round and semi-final 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 semi-final 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.
"It's certain there is something wrong because somebody who can run 11.35 secs cannot run 11.95 secs later in the final. Any difference of more than half a second would raise questions in 100m race. Mistry has reasons to ask questions," the AFI official said.
"There must be something wrong in the starting gun sensor or the photo finish equipment," he added.
AFI secretary CK Valson, who is in Ranchi for the Championships, said that he was investigating into the issue.
"We have got the letter from Mistry and we are looking into it. We will look into the details like the photo finish timing of the semi-finals and other things," he said.
Mistry was a member of India's 4x100m gold medal winning quartet, which included PT Usha, in the 1998 Asian Championships in Fukoka in Japan. She also won a bronze in 100m in 2000 Asian Championships in Jakarta. She also held the 200m national record (23.10 secs) for two years from 2000 to 2002.
Explaining why she was questioning Merlin's record timing, Mistry, who is now a Railways employee, said that unlike that of Merlin, there was no inconsistency in the timings of the other two medal winners - Dutee Chand (gold) and HM Jyothi (silver).
"Dutee clocked 11.72 secs in first round heat and then had 11.73 secs in semi-final heats and clocked 11.73 secs in the final. Jyothi had 11.98 secs, 11.81 and 11.87secs and all these are consistent and acceptable," she said.
"But you have more than half a second difference in the timings and that also not increasing or decreasing order, there is always a suspicion," she said.
Mistry said that she has no personal issues with Merlin but felt that there should be a transparent process in recording national marks.
"I have no issues with Merlin and it is not a personal issue. I will congratulate if it comes that she had shattered my national record in a legitimate way. But I feel there is something wrong in the whole thing," she said.
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