(Asiad) Sprinter pulls out of 200m heats due to leg cramps

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korean sprinter Joel Jin Nwamadi failed to finish his preliminary race in the men's 200-meter dash at the Asian Games on Saturday due to leg cramps.

Nwamadi pulled up lame during the heats for the men's 200m at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya. The race was held just before noon Saturday for the 20-year-old, who had finished fourth in the 100m final around 10:30 p.m. Friday.

"After the 100m final, he had to wait until the early hours of Saturday for a doping test," an official with the Korea Association of Athletics Federations said. "Then he had to come back out this morning for the 200m and that might have caused the cramps. He gave up on the race because he could have risked a bigger injury if he had pushed further."

The official added Nwamadi was getting treatment on the leg and he will try to be ready for relays.

Born in Seoul to a Nigerian father and a Korean mother, Nwamadi is set to compete in the men's 4x100m relay, with the heats on Sunday night and the final on Monday night, and in the mixed 4x100m relay, whose heats are Monday evening and final is Tuesday night.