New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) A day after two leading female quarter-milers tested positive, five Indian athletes, including Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medallist Sini Jose, Thursday flunked dope test conducted by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA).
The five include Juana Murmu, who failed the dope test for the second time. Along with another quarter-miler Mandeep Kaur, she has already been suspended by Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for failing an out-of-competition test by World Anti Doping Agency (WADA).
Besides Murmu, the other athletes caught by NADA for consuming banned substance were: quarter-miler Sini Jose, a gold medallist in 4×400 metres Asian and Commonwealth Games, and shot putter Sonia, who tested positive for methandienone. Another runner, Tiana Mary Thomas, consumed anabolic steroid epimethandiol during the National Inter-State Athletics Meet held in Bangalore earlier this month.
Men’s long jumper Hari Krishnan Muralidharan also returned positive for methandienone in an out-of-competition test.
In tests conducted by WADA, Mandeep, also a 4×400 metres relay gold medallist in the Commonwealth and the Asian Games, tested positive for methandienone and stanozolol, while Murmu tested positive for methandienone. Stanozolol is one of the oldest anabolic agents since American sprinter Ben Johnson took it in 1988.
NADA director Rahul Bhatnagar said there were serious charges as methandienone was found in the samples of Mandeep, Juana, Jose, Sonia and Muralidharan.
‘These are very serious cases as methandienone was found in samples of five athletes. We will take strict actions. Their B samples will be opened in seven days,’ Bhatnagar told IANS.
AFI director M.L. Dogra said the fresh cases are a serious set-back for Indian athletics.
‘We have provisionally suspended all the five athletes. We have to find out how so many athletes have tested positive for the same anabolic steroids. We are disappointed at the turn of events,’ he said.
