Athletics
Two top Indian track athletes fail dope tests
Track stars Archana Suseendran and Anjali Devi have been provisionally suspended for doping, according to reports.
Anjali Devi made a comeback after almost four years and won the gold medal in the women's 400m final last month. (AFI)
Indian athletics has received another big jolt as two female track stars have been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for doping.
Though there has not been any official word from NADA or the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), speculation is rife that sprinters Archana Suseendran and Anjali Devi have been suspended ahead of the Asian Athletics Championships on July 12.
When contacted, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla simply said, "Ask NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency)," reported PTI.
Recently, Archana defeated Hima Das in the final of 100m at the Indian Grand Prix 2.
If Archana's suspension is confirmed, India will have lost almost all of their national-record holding 4*100m women's relay team. It was the quartet of Archana, Hima, Dutee Chand, and Dhanalakshmi who had created the national record in 2021. Of them, three stand suspended. One remains injured.
And then there were none: India's record-setting 4*100m relay team
On the other hand, 400m runner Anjali Devi has been caught in a doping storm too.
Anjali made a comeback after almost four years and won the gold medal in the women's 400m final in the National Interstate Championship held in Bhubaneswar with her best time of 51.58 seconds last month.
According to an AFI official, Anjali is not part of the Asian Athletics Championships because her entry was sent late. Now it appears there could be other, more sinister, reasons at play too.
Last Saturday, shot putter Karanveer Singh was also left out of the Indian team after failing an out-of-competition dope test.
