Shot-putter Manpreet fails dope test
NEW DELHI: India’s leading shotputter and gold-medallist in the just concluded Asian Athletics Championships, Manpreet Kaur, has failed a dope test for stimulant dimethylbutylamine.
The national record holder failed in-competition test conducted by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) during the Federation Cup in Patiala from June 1-4.
The thrower is one of the top athletes of the country who has also qualified for next month’s World Championships in London. Since the stimulant comes under specified category of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), she will not be debarred from competing in the world meet.
However, she will have to appear before the NADA disciplinary panel for hearing, and if she is not able to prove her innocence, the national champion might lose her gold won at the Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar (July 6-9).
“Manpreet has tested positive in a test conducted during the Federation Cup in June. Her urine sample has been found to have stimulant dimethylbutylamine,” an Athletics Federation of India (AFI) official said.
“We have been notified by NADA about this,” he said.
When contacted, Manpreet’s coach Karamjeet, who is also her husband, said, “We have not yet been told about anything.”
NADA director-general Navin Agarwal said that this was the first time this banned stimulant dimethylbutylamine has been detected in the urine sample of a sportsperson in India.
During the Asian Grand Prix in China in April, the Indian had won gold with a throw of 18.86m. It was better than the 17.75m qualifying mark for the world meet.
Her outstanding performance also ranked her as the world No 1. At Bhubaneswar, her gold-winning throw was 18.28m.
She also participated in the Inter-state meet that concluded on Tuesday at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. As expected, she dominated the event, but her winning throw was 15.65 metres.
The 27 year old had also qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, but finished 23rd with a best throw of 17.06 meters.
Though Manpreet has been dominating domestic competition since 2015, her performance graph has always fluctuated. During the Kolkata Open national meet in 2015, her gold medal-winning throw was 17.96 meters, a national record. But she failed to repeat her performance at the Olympic Games.
After winning the Asian Championships title in Bhubaneswar, she had said her focus would be to repeat her personal best of 18.86 in the world meet starting August 4.
But now it’s doubtful if she will be able to stay focused. India’s leading 400m hurdler, Jithin Paul, is also under the doping scanner.
During a NADA raid at Patiala, officials seized syringes and vials of meldonium.
THROWER ONE OF TOP ATHLETES WHO HAS ALSO QUALIFIED FOR NEXT MONTH’S WORLDS