India to challenge Shaili Singh's long jump result after hair cuts jump distance

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has decided to approach the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the measurement of Shaili Singh’s long jump at the Asian Games 2026. The Indian camp believes a shorter mark was used for one of her attempts, with Shaili eventually finishing fourth after missing the bronze by four centimetres.

Shaili’s best jump of 6.42m initially put her in medal contention, but China’s Mengyi Tan moved into third with a 6.46m effort on her final attempt. Ancy Sojan won silver with 6.53m, while China’s Huang Yingying took gold with 6.55m.

The AFI’s objection is centred on Shaili’s fourth attempt, which was officially measured at 6.41m. Her mentor and AFI senior vice-president Anju Bobby George told PTI that an official near the landing pit had initially pointed to one mark before another official, standing further away, identified a shorter one. Drama in the Women’s Long Jump!Shaili Singh’s jump looked well over 6.50m, but after the review, it was measured at 6.41m. She’s currently sitting in the bronze medal position.#AsianGames2026 pic.twitter.com/XZOKAbepGV— ;-) (@timeout_7) September 27, 2026

“We saw her jump was clearly ahead of the gold-winning mark. Initially, the official near the landing pit pointed to Shaili's leg mark for the measurement,” Anju told PTI.

“But later another official who was standing far behind came and pointed to a mark which was far shorter from board,” she said. “They took the measurement at the mark pointed by the official who was standing far behind. The measurement should have been done on the mark pointed by the official nearest to the landing pit.”

Shaili protested the decision at the venue and the Indian camp was later shown video footage of the jump. Anju said they were first shown a front-view video and asked for the side view, while the jury subsequently informed them that it had reviewed the side-view footage before upholding the original decision.

The dispute has drawn attention because the official measurement was linked to a mark made by Shaili’s hair in the sand. Under long jump rules, the distance is measured to the closest break in the landing area made by the athlete, meaning a mark made by any part of the body or something attached to it can determine the result.WHY DID THE MEASUREMENT BECOME AN ISSUE?

The fourth attempt became important because Shaili’s 6.41m was close to the distance she eventually recorded as her best. Her 6.42m kept her in third place until Tan’s final jump, when the Chinese athlete went 6.46m to take the bronze.

“We were called after the event, and the officials showed a front view video to us, which does not mean anything. How would you know where Shaili landed from a front view?” Anju said.

“We demanded a side view video, which they said was not with them. Later, we made an appeal to the jury. The jury later sent their decision saying that they have looked into the side view videos also, and the earlier decision stands.”AFI TAKES THE DISPUTE FURTHER

With the jury’s decision unchanged, the AFI has now decided to take the matter to CAS. The federation’s appeal will focus on the measurement process and the decision taken by the Asian Games officials and jury.

“It's an injustice to Shaili. She could have even won gold if the correct measurement was made. So, we are going to CAS,” Anju said.

An AFI official also confirmed to PTI that the federation will challenge the decision before the Lausanne-based CAS. For now, Shaili’s official result remains fourth with a best of 6.42m, while Tan’s 6.46m stands as the bronze-medal-winning distance.- Ends