Livid feminine heptathlete denies being transgender after rival claimed she was cheated out of a medal by a sex-swap competitor on the Asian Video games

A feminine heptathlete has furiously refuted allegations of being transgender after public accusations from a rival athlete. 

Nandini Agasara, a 20-year-old professional athlete, took house a bronze medal for India at this 12 months’s Asian Video games within the ladies’s heptathlon on Sunday after scoring 5712 factors within the gruelling occasion. 

However her victory was soured by a rival, 26-year-old Swapna Barman who additionally competed for India, however narrowly missed out on the rostrum place after scoring 5708 factors. 

Barman seemingly accused Asagara of being transgender in a now-deleted social media put up. 

Barman, who took gold on the 2018 Asian Video games in Jakarta, mentioned in her put up to X, previously Twitter: ‘I’ve misplaced my Asian Video games bronze medal to transgender ladies on the nineteenth Asian Video games held in Hangzhou, China. 

Nandini Agasara (pictured, proper) was covertly accused of being transgender by a rival athlete

Swapna Barman (pictured) narrowly missed out on taking a podium place

‘I would like my medal again as it’s towards the foundations of our athletics. Assist me and assist me please. #protestforfairplay.’

Whereas the put up didn’t instantly identify Asagara because the goal of the allegations, the bronze medal winner furiously asserted her id as a lady in an interview with India As we speak, telling the journal she could be taking the problem up with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI): 

‘I do know what I’m. Ask her to point out proof. I may also present that I’ve gained the medal for India. I solely wish to do nicely for the nation. 

‘Now we have now gained, so folks have began speaking about it. I’ll take up this difficulty with AFI for positive. I needed to benefit from the second of profitable the medal however going again to India as my mom is just not nicely.’ 

Regardless of the furore, Asagara’s win was celebrated by main figures, together with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wrote on X, previously Twitter: ‘India celebrates the outstanding Bronze Medal by Nandini Agasara in Ladies’s Heptathlon 800m occasion. 

She has already gained two worldwide medals at simply 20 years outdated

 India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Asagara’s bronze medal, calling her an ‘absolute champion’

‘She is an absolute champion, personifying sporting spirit and excellence. Congrats to her and all the very best for the endeavours forward.’

Asagara is a comparatively new athlete. The bronze on the Asian Video games is her second worldwide medal, having taken house a silver medal within the 100m hurdles on the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2022. 

She has additionally gained a number of nationwide medals in India, taking house a two silver medals in two years, as soon as on the 100m hurdles at India’s Nationwide Open Athletics Championships in 2022 and on the Nationwide Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in 2021. 

The livid row comes within the midst of a world backlash towards transgender athletes, as governing our bodies internationally ban them from competing because the genders they establish with. 

Earlier this 12 months, transgender ladies have been banned from competing within the feminine class at worldwide athletics occasions.

Nandini Agasara took house a gold medal for India within the Asian Video games 

Swapna Barman claimed that ‘her’ bronze medal was stolen by a transgender athlete in a social media put up, however shortly deleted the claims

The choice was made by World Athletics in an effort to ‘prioritise equity and the integrity of the feminine competitors earlier than inclusion’.

On the brand new transgender participation guidelines, Sebastian Coe, the governing physique’s president, mentioned: ‘The World Athletics council has taken the decisive motion to guard the feminine class in our sport.

‘The choice that the council made is a primarily principle-based choice and that’s the overarching want to guard the feminine class. That is what our sport is right here to do.’ 

Coe added on the time: ‘Many consider there’s inadequate proof that trans ladies don’t retain benefit over organic ladies.

‘The place the science is inadequate to justify sustaining testosterone suppression for transgender athletes, the council agreed it should be guided by our overarching precept, which is to guard the feminine class.’

Asagara managed to take a podium place by getting simply 4 extra factors than her subsequent closest rival 

She was greeted by her fellow winners on the rostrum on the finish of the occasion 

Athletics wasn’t the one sport to ban transgender ladies from competing in feminine occasions, as in July, biking’s world governing physique banned them from competing in worldwide occasions. 

The outdated coverage below the Union Cycliste Internationale allowed trans ladies to compete in feminine races if they’d testosterone ranges of lower than 2.5 nanomoles per litre. 

However the coverage got here below hearth after American bike owner Austin Killips gained the Tour of the Gila 5 entire minutes forward of the runner up. 

The governing physique mentioned the utmost permitted testosterone stage beforehand used was not ‘adequate to fully get rid of the advantages of testosterone throughout puberty in males’.

UCI president David Lappartient added: ‘Given the present state of scientific information doesn’t assure equality of alternative between transgender feminine athletes and cisgender feminine members, it was not doable, as a precautionary measure, to authorise the previous to race within the feminine classes.’