Asian Games: ‘Own basket’ ruled out

Marcus Douthit FILE PHOTO

INCHEON — Brief stories from the Asian Games on Monday:

‘Own basket’ ruled out

The Philippines had an “own basket” ruled out in a bizarre end to their last basketball quarter-final group match against Kazakhstan. The “Gilas Pilipinas” were leading by two points with 11 seconds to go in Sunday’s game when Marcus Douthit shot into his own basket to tie the score, but it was correctly disallowed by officials. The Philippines had to win by 11 points to qualify for the semi-finals and the desperate ploy was an attempt to force a five-minute overtime period so they could have a chance to rack up the margin they needed. The match ended 67-65 to the Philippines and Kazakhstan progressed to the semis instead.

Podium pandemonium

Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet was dramatically stripped of her 3,000 meters steeplechase victory just before she stepped on the podium, before being reinstated after late-night protests from her team. But Jebet’s rearranged victory ceremony, held a day later, did not go entirely smoothly either. As the athletes lined up at the podium, the announcer declared: “The bronze medal goes to: Bahrain! Err, excuse me, India!”

Golden couple

When Kazakhstan’s Konstantin Safronov competes in the long jump, he will be looking to emulate someone special: his wife Olgra Safronova, who won bronze in the women’s 100 meters. As a smiling but nervous Safronova sat at a post-race press conference, her husband proudly snapped photos of her on his smartphone — the latest editions to the family album.

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