Commonwealth Games race forced into rerun as athlete has gold medal brutally stripped

Commonwealth Games race forced into rerun as athlete has gold medal brutally stripped

The women's 1500m T54 final has been ordered to be rerun after a dramatic first-corner pile-up wiped out nearly half the competitors. The rerun, which will take place on Friday morning, means Scotland's Melaine Woods had her gold medal stripped. Woods crossed the lines in a new Games record but must now attempt to reclaim gold all over again. Canada's Nandini Sharma, who finished second, has been disqualified for obstruction after her team's appeal against the ruling was rejected. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The jury of appeal acted after successful challenges from Team Australia and Team Mauritius, both of whose athletes were caught up in the crash. All results from Wednesday's race have been voided, including the silver medal that had been awarded to England's Ellis Kottas following Sharma's disqualification. The chaos unfolded within moments of the starting gun. Mauritius's Noemi Alphonse and Australia's Eliza Ault-Connell made contact on the opening bend, sending Alphonse crashing to the track surface. LATEST SPORTS NEWS Eddie Howe quits Newcastle as key transfer decisions spark dramatic exit Eddie Howe was sold short and Newcastle will be haunted by what could have been Uefa to hold emergency meeting on Fifa's proposal as Europe's governing body issues strong statement Ault-Connell managed to stay in her racing chair but lost control, careering into a third Para-athlete. A fourth competitor was forced off the track entirely, ending up against the advertising hoardings. With the field decimated, Woods and Sharma found themselves battling alone at the front, having pulled clear of the two remaining challengers. Woods surged ahead to take the tape in 3:33.39, a new Commonwealth Games record. Sharma was subsequently disqualified for her part in causing the first-corner incident, a ruling that Team Canada contested without success. Appeals lodged by the Australian and Mauritian delegations, seeking a complete rerun, ultimately succeeded