Men’s 4x100-meter relay team DQ-ed in heats, then denied bronze in final, sees both rulings overturned upon appeal
At the Asian Games taking place in Japan, South Korea’s men’s 4x100-meter relay team had to appeal its way into the final — then appeal again after finishing third to get their bronze medals.
The team of Seo Min-jun, Joel Jin Nwamadi, Daniel Biwesa and Lee Jae-seong crossed the finish line third in a national record of 38.43 seconds on Monday evening.
China won gold at 38.17 seconds, with Taiwan taking silver in 38.32. Thailand finished fourth in 38.49.
But when the official results were posted, Thailand was listed as the bronze medalist and South Korea came fourth.
“The organizers gave us no clear explanation, and we couldn’t understand why the results on the website had changed," sprint coach Ha Kyung-soo told Yonhap News Agency after the race Tuesday.
After South Korea appealed, organizers corrected the results and restored the team to third place. They did not immediately explain why Thailand had initially been listed for the bronze medal.
The mix-up marked the second time in two days that a ruling had threatened the team’s standing in the competition.
South Korea had been disqualified after Sunday’s heats for an alleged baton-exchange violation. The team appealed the decision and was ultimately allowed to compete in the final.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
