The King promised to get me the gold, says Ruth Jebet

With Ruth getting the gold (she clocked a Games record of 9:31.36s), China’s Li Zhenzhu took silver ((:35.23) and India’s Lalita Babar (9:35.37) took the bronze.

Incheon: India's Lalita Babar and compatriot Sudha Singh lead China's Li Zhenzhu during the women's 3000 meters steeplechase final at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea on Saturday. PTI Photo (PTI9_27_2014_000209B) *** Local Caption ***

Despite winning the women’s 3000m steeplechase in a commanding manner at the Asian Games here on Saturday, Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet had a sleepless night.

The Kenya-born World junior champion, who had lost her balance and accidently gone off the track for a moment during the race, was disqualified just as she was about to step on the podium to collect her gold.

“I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep last night,” said Ruth who was given back her gold after the jury came to the conclusion that the incident occurred accidentally and that she had not gained any advantage with it and had not been a hindrance to other runners.

So, did she think she would get back the gold?

“My king promised me that he would get me the gold. The Bahrain king spoke to me and promised me that,” said the 17-year-old who was winning her first Asiad medal.

Bronze for Lalita

With Ruth getting the gold (she clocked a Games record of 9:31.36s), China’s Li Zhenzhu took silver ((:35.23) and India’s Lalita Babar (9:35.37) took the bronze.

The other Indian in the fray, who had hoped to get among the medals after Ruth’s disqualification yesterday, finished fourth in 9:35.64. Both Lalita and Sudha clocked personal best timings.