7 National Games medal winners caught in dope net

Tribune News Service

Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi, February 3

At least seven medallists from last year’s National Games have been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-doping Agency (NADA).

NADA has published a list of the suspended athletes, who were tested from September onwards. Of the 47 athletes, 10 were part of the National Games in Ahmedabad last year. Interestingly, seven athletes, including weightlifter K Sanjita Chanu, were podium finishers.

Chanu, whose case was widely reported last month, was provisionally suspended after her samples showed presence of drostanolone, an anabolic steroid. Chanu had won the silver medal in the 49kg weight category.

Another weightlifter, Veerjeet Kaur, who had won silver in 55kg category for Punjab, has been suspended for using ligandrol. The substance enhances strength and development of the skeletal muscle tissues.

Maharastra sprinter Diandra Valladares, who won bronze in the 100m, has been suspended for the use of the steroid stanozolol.

Greco-Roman wrestlers Deepanshu (Services) and Ravi (Haryana), who finished first and second in the 97kg category, respectively, have been suspended for the use of metendienone, an anabolic steroid.

Punjab judoka Navroop Kaur, who lost in the second round of the below 57kg category, has been sanctioned after her samples showed the presence of the steroid metenolone. Another Punjab athlete, cyclist Roobalpreet Singh, who failed to qualify for the final in keirin, has been suspended for the use of metendienone.

Soumen Banerjee, who won silver in men’s lawn bowls, has been banned for the use of eplerenone, a diuretic mostly used as a masking agent by dope offenders.

Kerala forward Viknesh M, who was part of the football team that finished third, was sanctioned after his samples showed the presence of turbutaline, which increases performance and muscle strength.

Sprinters MV Jilna and S Dhanalakshmi, who were part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games contingent, were also sanctioned.

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar suspended till July 2023

The suspense over celebrated Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar’s suspension is over. The International Testing Agency has clarified that the Khel Ratna winner, who finished fourth at the Rio Olympics, is serving a 21-month suspension that will run till July 2023. Her out of competition sample, which was taken under the instruction of the international gymnastics federation (FIG) in October 2021, showed the presence of higenamine, which is a stimulant.

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