Suspended athlete takes part in marathon

In another incident of a suspended athlete flying under the radar, a middle-distance runner who is serving a doping ban participated in the New Delhi Marathon.

Harendra Kumar, who is serving a four-year suspension that will end in 2026, ran in the 10km race in the New Delhi Marathon held last Sunday. Harendra finished third with a timing of 31 minutes, 43 seconds. Parvej finished first followed by Sonu Kushwaha.

It is understood that Harendra’s race result will be removed from records as the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has already reached out to the organisers of the marathon after The Tribune flagged this issue.

Speaking to The Tribune, Adille Sumariwalla, former president and now the official spokesperson of the AFI, said that the federation has zero tolerance for dope cheats.

“UIDs are blocked for dope-tainted athletes for all events where the AFI takes entry. Hence the athlete cannot participate. However, if an athlete quietly goes and gives his/her entry in some event, the AFI will not know... till reported or found out. NADA is then informed and the ban extended,” Sumariwalla said.

The 42km race was a qualifying event for the Asian Championships and entries were screened by the AFI. The other races are open events for the general public and Harendra’s entry went unnoticed. A director in NEB Sports, which organised the marathon, said that they are aware of the situation and the result sheets will be changed.

“Entries in the main race, which was a qualifying event, were monitored by the AFI. The 10km race is an open event and everyone can take part. The AFI officials have already reached out to us and we will update the results very soon,” Nagraj Adiga said.

However, Harendra’s coach Vipin, who is doing a course at the NIS Patiala, denied that his trainee took part in the race at all. “He remains suspended. He was not there, the result sheet might be fake,” he said.

Incidences of dope-suspended athletes taking part are on the rise. Sachin Poswal, who was under suspension, took part in the Delhi State Cross-Country Championships that was held on December 29. Incredibly, he participated with a new name — Sachin Gurjar — in the U-20 8km race and finished third with a fresh identification that was issued by the AFI.