Disqualification due to footwear! Iran’s Fatemeh Mohitizadeh of heptathlon in dramatic Asian Games setback

Iran’s Fatemeh Mohitizadeh (Photo Reuters) Iran’s Fatemeh Mohitizadeh suffered a dramatic setback at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya after she was disqualified from the women’s heptathlon on Friday following a protest over her footwear during the long jump.Mohitizadeh emerged as one of the front-runners after the opening day, finishing with 3,486 points and holding a lead of almost 100 points over the athlete in second place. However, her campaign came to an abrupt end after it was allegedly discovered that she had been wearing her sprint spikes for the long jump.The Iranian athlete was disqualified under World Athletics rule TR7.1 (TR5.2) (S1) for non-compliance with footwear regulations.

Mohitizadeh’s impressive campaign comes to an abrupt end

The long jump was the fifth event of the heptathlon and Mohitizadeh was in third place after completing the first four events.She started strongly in the 100m hurdles, scoring 1030 points in 13.64 seconds. She then moved to the top of the standings after clearing 1.77m in the high jump, earning 941 points.Asian Games full coverage | Medal Tally | ScheduleMohitizadeh subsequently recorded 11.72m in the shot put for 643 points and dropped to second place with 200m to go. She clocked 25.16 seconds in the event to add 872 points to remain third after four events.Her disqualification in the long jump thus ended a promising campaign after placing among the leading athletes of the competition.Under the World Athletics Technical Regulations, athletes are required to adhere to prescribed footwear requirements, including rules for approved shoes, sole thickness and spikes. The code of rules cited in Mohitizadeh’s disqualification relates to footwear compliance.

Iran’s Fatemeh Mohitizadeh (Photo Reuters)

Two Indians continue in heptathlon

India has two competitors in the women’s heptathlon — Pooja and Anamika Kozhinjaparambil.Completing the javelin, the sixth event of the seven-event event, Pooja and Anamika placed seventh and eighth respectively.The heptathlon consists of the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m. Athletes accumulate points in all seven events, with the highest overall score deciding the winner.Mohitizadeh’s disqualification significantly changed the standings in the company, where she entered as leader until the second day. The remaining competitors will now fight for the podium in the final disciplines of the heptathlon.