Indian athlete withdrawn from Asian championships following positive dope test

Two days before they will compete at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, the Indian athletics team has been forced to withdraw an athlete from the squad following an adverse doping result.

An official with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), who preferred not to be named, confirmed that a member of the Indian 4x400m women’s relay squad was prevented from boarding her flight for the Asian Championships following the finding.

The athlete in question was subjected to an in competition test at the National Relay championships in Chandigarh last month. She had also set a personal best in the 400m earlier this year.

Despite the jolt, India will be hopeful of performing well at the Asian championships, having won a bronze medal in the last edition in Bangkok in 2023. Indian athletes finished with 27 medals – six gold, 12 silver and nine bronze – at the last Asian Athletics Championships, held in Bangkok in 2023.

This is the second high-profile case of doping with Indian athletes to come out this month. Last week, Shivpal Singh, a former Asian Championships silver medallist in the men’s javelin throw, failed a second dope test and is facing the possibility of an 8 year ban.