Gomathi’s appeal rejected; suspension to stay

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected an appeal by Indian middledistance runner Gomathi Marimuthu against her fouryear suspension for doping in 2019.

Gomathi, who won the title in the ■00m at the Asian championships in Doha in April, 2019, was found positive for 19norandrosterone, a metabolite of nandrolone, an endogenous steroid. An independent hearing panel suspended the Tamil Nadu runner for four years in May last year. Gomathi went on to appeal against World Athletics at the Lausannebased CAS.

In a decision dated April 23, 2021, the sole arbitrator of CAS, Prof. Jan Paulsson of Bahrain, ruled that the athlete was guilty of doping and she would undergo fouryear suspension from May 17, 2019 to May 16, 2023 as ordered by the rstinstance hearing panel.

All her results achieved between March 1■ and May 17, 2019, will stand annulled.

Gomathi had clocked a personal best 2:02.70 for the ■00m at the Asian championships in

2019 following which she tested positive for nandrolone. Later, it was made known by India’s National Antidoping Agency that she had also tested positive in three tests conducted by it at home during competitions.