Asian Athletics bound shot putter Karanveer Singh fails dope test

In another great Indian doping saga, Asian Athletics championship-bound shot putter Karanveer Singh has failed an out-of-competition dope test conducted recently and will be pulled out of the Indian team for the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok next week.

Currently training at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala, Karanveer was earlier named in a 54-member Indian team for the July 12-16 continental championships. The Indian team will leave for Thailand on Saturday night.

"Yes, that is correct," Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla confirmed the development to PTI on Saturday when asked if Karanveer had failed a dope test.

The exact date of the dope test and the name of the banned substance are not known.

The 25-year-old Karanveer was in good form lately after winning a bronze in the Federation Cup in May with a throw of 19.05m, while he was second behind Asian record holder Tajinderpal Singh Toor in the National Inter-State Championships in June with an effort of 19.78m.

He is currently sixth among Asians in the season's top list and breached the Asian Games qualification mark set by AFI in the Inter-State Championships.

He has a personal best of 20.10m, achieved during the National Open Championships last year.

As it stands, National record holder Tajinder Pal Singh Toor will now be the lone Indian in the men's shot put event in the Asian Championships.