New Delhi, August 18 (PTI) – A prominent female triple jumper in her 30s, known for her numerous national-level accolades and international representation, has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). This action follows a positive test for a prohibited substance, as reported by an Athletics Federation of India source.
The athlete, who remains unnamed at this time, participated in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. The specific banned substance involved has not yet been disclosed.
Unfortunately, this incident adds to the growing list of doping cases that have plagued Indian athletes recently. On August 11, Gagandeep Singh, a National Games gold-medalist in discus, was among several athletes across various sports disciplines who received three-year bans from NADA. This followed their acknowledgment of doping within 20 days of being charged. Singh, who represented Services, claimed gold in men's discus with a throw of 55.01 meters at the Uttarakhand National Games on February 12, later testing positive for testosterone metabolites.
According to the 2023 data released by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), India's rate of positivity for banned substances was 3.8%, tallying 214 Adverse Analytical Findings (AAF) out of 5,606 samples tested. Of these samples, 2,748 were conducted in competition. Notably, India's AAF rate surpasses that of China, the USA, France, Germany, and Russia, all of which maintain a positivity rate of 1% or less.
Athletics, in particular, leads in the number of positive cases in India, with 61 AAFs identified out of 1,223 samples according to WADA data.
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