HANGZHOU: Swapna Barman's serious allegations against Nandini Agasara after the latter won the women's heptathlon bronze medal at the ongoing Asian Games in China created a storm on Monday, forcing her to delete the post on X (earlier Twitter) where she alleged Nandini of being a transgender.
Although there has been no official response so far from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), sources say Swapna would be asked to give an explanation after reaching India.
"I don't understand what's the issue with her (Swapna)?," said Nandini responding to the allegations.
In the now deleted post, Swapna, who won the heptathlon gold at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, wrote: "I have lost my Asian Games medal to a transgender woman at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. I want my medal back as it is against the rules of our athletics. Help me and support me please."
Nandini's 5712 points for bronze is her personal best and helped her push Barman down to fourth place (5708 points) in the final standings.
"I doubt the timing of her allegations. Why didn't she make the accusations earlier?" Nandini questioned.
"It's only when I won the bronze because of my sheer hard work and dedication that she came up with this transgender thing. This is so unfair.
"I thank the government and my federation for standing behind me and supporting me,” said Nandini.
Nandini's athletics journey started in 2018. She comes from a humble background, with her father running a tea shop and mother working as a housemaid.