Quarter miler Anjali Devi banned for four years for a doping violation

Indian quarter-miler Anjali Devi was banned by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for four years for failing a dope test in June 2024.

Anjali Devi was the fastest quarter-miler in the country last year after winning the gold medal at the Inter-State National Championships in Bhubaneswar.

She tested positive for GW1516, which is prohibited at all times under metabolic modulators on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Prohibited List.

Incidentally, the US Anti-Doping Agency’s website mentions that GW1516 was pulled from clinical trials when it was found to cause cancer, which meant that it had not undergone human studies and was not safe to use.

Last year at the Inter-State Nationals, Anjali clocked a stunning 51.48s to win the gold medal and qualify for the Asian Games.

However, she was tested later on the day of her impressive and a few weeks later it was announced that she had been handed a provisional suspension for testing positive.

She was kept out of the Asian Athletics Championships in 2023 and didn't go to the Asian Games.

Anjali's name now appears in the list of the athletes sanctioned by the NADA's Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, updated on Tuesday night. Her four-year suspension will start from 7th July, 2023.

Earlier this month, another quarter-miler Nirmala Sheoran was banned for eight years by NADA for a second doping violation. Nirmala was banned earlier for a doping violation in 2018 and returned to track last year at the Inter-State Nationals.