Dutee to challenge 4-year doping ban

New Delhi, August 18

Double Asian Games silver medallist Dutee Chand will challenge the four-year ban imposed on her by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for failing two out-of-competition dope tests for a banned substance.

The 27-year-old 100m national record holder was yesterday served the ban after two samples taken in December last year were found to contain “other anabolic agents/SARMS”, which is listed under “WADA’s 2023 prohibited list of non-specified substances”.

The samples were taken on December 5 and 26 and both returned positive for almost identical substances. SARMS, or selective androgen receptor modulators, are non-steroidal substances commonly used to treat osteoporosis, anaemia and wound healing in patients.

Dutee’s ban will be effective from January 3 this year and all her competitive results will be scrapped from the date the first sample collection took place (December 5). Dutee’s counsel Parth Goswami today told PTI that the sprinter had been a “clean athlete” all her professional career and it was a case of “unintentional consumption”. “We are in process of filing an appeal. We are hopeful that we will be able to convince the appeal panel,” he said.

The athlete had won silver medals in 100 and 200m at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and holds the national record of 11.17s in 100m (2021). — PTI

Rattled by Level 1 cancer

New Delhi: Dutee Chand experienced the shock of her life when she was told by a doctor in November 2021 that Level 1 cancer has attacked her body and she must quit the sport. That was after she failed to go past the preliminary rounds of the 100m and 200m races in the Tokyo Olympics. “I felt very scared, thinking what has happened to my life,” Dutee said. “After returning from the Olympics, I felt pain in the groin area. I got an MRI scan done and the doctor told me that a Level 1 cancer attack has begun. I have testosterone hormone imbalance, so it could be from that. But after taking medicine, the pain subsided and there was recovery,” she added.