Athletics
Lalith Kumar, who famously ran a lone race at Delhi State Athletics Meet, failed dope test
Lalith Kumar, who ran a solitary 100-metre race at the Delhi State Athletics Meet in September, where the remaining athletes ran away to avoid being tested by NADA officials, tested positive for doping.
Lalith Kumar, who famously ran a solitary 100-metre race at the Delhi State Athletics Meet in September, where the rest of the athletes ran away to avoid being tested by NADA officials, has now failed the dope test.
Lalith, running a lone 100m race, went viral, with the event notoriously attracting international media attention. In the event, eight athletes, who qualified after competing in the semifinal, were supposed to participate, but seven of them decided to withdraw, citing various reasons.
As the news of National Anti-Doping Agency officials' presence at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Delhi, flew rapidly, athletes in one event after another event pulled out. Some even continued to run after touching the finishing line.
Lalith, who was hailed for his honesty then, has been found positive for the sample taken after that race. National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) found anabolic steroids in his sample.
According to a report by Amar Ujala, after testing positive for the first sample, Lalith also refused to give B sample to NADA. He is now facing a possible ban from the AFI.
Before the start of the Delhi state meet, a video also went viral showing numerous used syringes in the washroom of the stadium reportedly used for injecting performance-enhancing drugs.
As the event drew the attention of the international media, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics has sought answers from the Athletics Federation of India pertaining to the scandal during the 141st Congress of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in October.
World Athletics has tightened its grip over India's dope testing system after a secret investigation exposed several malfunctions and negligence in India's testing methods.
Now, Lalith testing positive further made the matter worse as India struggles to eliminate the menace of doping.
Meanwhile, AFI has not yet shared the report of its investigation into the doping scandal at the state meet with the AIU.