Indian Olympic discus thrower suspended after failing dope test MI look to maintain momentum in clash against table toppers GT At one point I thought I was going to lose my contract: Archer
NEW DELHI: India’s top woman discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur, who finished sixth at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, has been provisionally suspended ater testing positive for a banned drug, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said.
The 26-year-old faces the prospect of being banned for a maximum four years if the positive test is confirmed.
“The AIU has provisionally suspended discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur of India for the use of a prohibited substance (Stanozolol), a breach of the @Worldathletics Anti-doping Rules,” it tweeted.
A national record holder, Kaur cannot participate in any competition until a final decision is taken at a hearing conducted under the World Athletics anti-doping rules.
The Commonwealth Games and Asian Games are both taking place this year.
Stanozolol is a synthetic anabolic steroid banned in 1974.
It became infamous ater Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for it at the 1988 Seoul Games and was stripped of his 100m gold medal.
India are ranked third in the number of doping violations behind Russia and Italy, according to a World Anti-doping Agency report released last year.
Earlier, in a shock announcement, India’s ace sprinter Dutee Chand made it clear that she will be hanging up her racing boots ater the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, making it her final appearance at the prestigious quadrennial Games. A 2-time Olympian, Dutee has previously represented India at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.
At the recently concluded Khelo India University Games, Dutee Chand lost the 200m sprint to teen sensation Priya Mohan and had to setle for a silver, which could be a further cause for her rushing to this decision to retire ater Paris. In an interview with ESPN ater her close loss, Chand elaborated on her intentions and stated candidly, “I’m growing old, I’m not as fast as I used to be.” “I’ll pull along for two-three more years if my body cooperates,” the 26-year-old star sprinter from Odisha explained.
Meanwhile, Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) Division has approved a proposal by Neeraj Chopra and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to provide financial assistance of Rs 5.5 lakh approximately for extension of the Olympic gold medallist’s training camp at Gloria Sports Arena, in Antalya, Turkey.
MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians notched their first win of IPL 2022, beating Rajasthan Royal by five wickets on April 30, and ater a season where they came close to winning several games before earning their first points, head coach Mahela Jayawardene said victory had brought a “very positive outlook” to the entire group.
“It was good to see that we managed to execute skills and at the same time finish the game off,” Jayawardene said of game against the Royals.
“The bowling was prety good and with the bat as well we were able to cross the line. We had the same opportunities through this season with the ball and the bat too, to try and finish games off, which we were not able to. So to get points on the table, cross the line, brings a very positive outlook to the entire group.”
They now face Gujarat Titans, who are at the top of the points table, at the Brabourne
Stadium on Friday, although the head coach would have liked the team to get on the park sooner, to carry that winning momentum forward.
“Unfortunately, we had to wait for another four days before we could play another game. The focus has been good, we’ve had a couple of good chats. Looking forward to the next game, which is a tough one. Probably the in-form best team in the competition, and looking forward to that,” Jayawardene said.
“We just need to win matches, play some good cricket. It’s all about confidence. As players, as a group it’s been tough for us, there’s nothing to hide,” Jayawardene stated, looking ahead at the remainder of the season.
“We were not satisfied with our execution; we were not satisfied with the way we played. But everyone stuck together and worked harder. I can’t complain about the work ethic of the group. We’ve stayed together and believed in our ability. The rest of the season is going to be the same. Stick to our processes that we’ve always worked on, and make sure we win matches and go out and enjoy our cricket.”
Even though the points have not come, Mumbai Indians have continued to uncover fresh talent. Tilak Varma has been spectacular with the bat and Dewald Brevis has shown a glimpse of enormous potential. Against the Royals, mystery let-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya was handed a debut and did exceptionally, while the young Hrithikshokeen has also continued to be impressive.
LONDON: England pacer Jofra Archer admited that his elbow injury and lengthy rehabilitation post surgeries let him wondering whether he would lose his central contract.
Archer has not played international cricket since featuring in a five-match T20I series against India in March 2021 and was last seen in competitive cricket for Sussex in July that year. A surgery for removing a shred of glass on his hand was followed by two surgeries to solve a troublesome right elbow injury which kept him out of Men’s T20 World Cup and the Ashes.
Since the second elbow surgery in December 2021, Archer had trained with England in Barbados as part of his rehabilitation process, during their T20I and Test tours this year. He has also hoped that he would make a comeback to the game during Sussex’s opening match of T20 Blast against Glamorgan on May 26.
“In a situation like this, when you are forced to have operations, you do think about whether you are going to play cricket again, whether you’re going to play all formats even. But the ECB gave me the assurance and peace of mind that they wanted me around for a long time,” wrote Archer in his column for Daily Mail.
“At one point I thought I was going to lose my contract when things weren’t going well, but now I have confidence about what the future holds. Part of that is down to them not rushing me back,” added Archer, who has played 13 Tests, 17 ODIS and 12 T20s for England since 2019.
Archer is pleased that he is on the right path to playing cricket again ater a long layoff. “Ater my first operation last May, my right elbow felt no different at all. Obviously, I wasn’t going to fully know whether it had been successful until I started bowling, but what I can say is that things immediately felt different ater my second one in December. Now, nearly five months down the line, it’s a relief the way things are.”
“Yes, there have been two surgeries but honestly, I couldn’t have writen my rehab comeback any beter. Now, I just need some game time to be able to put my trust in the elbow. I’ve not trusted it supporting me for a long period, so it’s going to take a litle bit of work to do so and bowl at full tilt.”
Archer, 27, remarked that he hasn’t looked too far for his playing targets in the English summer, including Test cricket while revealing that he had a chat with new managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key last week.