World number four Anju George lost out on a place in the long jump final at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Moscow because of malfunctioning of the measuring instrument and incompetence of tournament officials, her husband and coach, Robert Bobby George, alleged on Saturday.
"We are sure that Anju cleared 6.55 metres, which was the qualifying mark for the final, but the officials gave a much lower reading for her jump," Robert George said from the Russian capital.
The Indian ace recorded a best effort of 6.34 metres, which was outside the best eight performances.
It was a case of bad electronic measurement which is a shame for such an elite event, the former triple jumper said.
"The measurement indicator on the side of the pit showed that Anju cleared 6.55 metres comfortably, but the event officials decreed that her attempt was much less," Robert said.
"They said there was some problem in measurement and gave Anju a much lower mark which was not enough for qualification," he claimed.
The officials stated that they were giving Anju a measurement of 6.34m as a compromise since they were having some problems with the instrument, Robert added.
The mark given to Anju was lower than the 6.46m recorded by Cuban Yargelis Savigne, who was the eighth and last contestant to make it to the long jump final.
"We lodged a complaint with the tournament organisers but the jury brushed our claims aside," Robert said.
Robert claimed that one of the event officials agreed that Anju had cleared the qualification mark, but the others did not.
"We even asked for videotapes but were told that there was no record of Anju's jumps," he said.
Most of the officials were inexperienced and not competent enough for World Championship events, he alleged.
Asked if he suspected any foul play, he gave a cagey reply.
"I don't know. But maybe they wanted to favour certain jumpers," he said, without giving any names.
The coach said it is not the first time that Anju has become a victim of such an incident.
"At the World Athletics Finals in Monaco last year, two of Anju's jumps were deemed foul. But she was extra careful in her last attempt and jumped from much behind the board to record 6.75m, which eventually landed her the silver medal," Robert said.
This discrepancy had also occurred in other athletics events, including the European championship, he alleged.
Admitting that Anju was upset at the adverse turn of events as she was confident of finishing among the medals tomorrow, Robert said, "What can we do? Our complaint has been rejected and the bottom line is that she is out of the final."
Robert, however, expressed confidence that this would not be a major setback and Anju would be going for gold at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, starting March 15.
"We are looking ahead and are very confident about her prospects in Melbourne," he said.
