Swapna Barman sparks controversy over Asian Games Heptathlon loss to transgender athlete

Indian athlete Swapna Barman, the 2018 Asian Games gold medalist in the heptathlon event, has caused controversy on social media following her failure to defend her title at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Barman finished fourth in the women's heptathlon event with 5708 points, narrowly missing out on the bronze-medal spot by only four points. The third-place finisher was her compatriot Nandini Agasara, who accumulated 5712 points.

Barman's journey to glory took a different turn this year as she battled injuries throughout the event. In particular, her performance in the javelin throw, where she had previously excelled, fell short of her personal best, recording only a 45.13m throw compared to her previous best of 53.55m. Despite her best efforts, she fell out of contention for a medal.

Allegations against a transgender competitor

Following the competition, Barman took to social media to allege that she had lost her Asian Games bronze medal to a transgender woman. However, she did not identify her competitor by name in her post. She claimed that this situation went against the rules of athletics and called for support in her quest to have her medal reinstated, using the hashtag #protestforfairplay.

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Final results

China's Nanali Zheng secured the gold medal with an impressive 6149 points, while Uzbekistan's Ekaterina Voronina earned the silver medal with 6056 points.

Despite facing a spinal injury in her career and contemplating retirement, Swapna Barman made a comeback to defend her title at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Her determination led to a gold win at the Inter-State meet and a silver medal in the lead-up to the Asian Games, demonstrating her resilience and commitment to her sport. She decided to forgo surgery to ensure she didn't miss crucial training sessions, even with her back condition.

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