Indian quarter-miler Anjali Devi has been handed a four-year ban by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for a doping violation. Devi failed a dope test in June 2023, leading to the consequence. She was the fastest quarter-miler in the country last year after winning the gold medal at the Inter-State National Championships in Bhubaneswar.
Anjali Devi amongst suspended athletes
Anjali recorded an impressive 51.48 seconds, winning the gold medal at the Inter-State Nationals, leading to her qualification for the Asian Games. However, suspicions arose after her impressive performance, leading to the dope test later that day.
Anjali Devi tested positive for GW1516, which is prohibited under metabolic modulators at all times on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list. The US Anti-Doping Agency’s website mentions that GW1516 was pulled from clinical trials as it was found to cause cancer. This also meant that it had not undergone human studies and therefore, was not safe to use either.
In the following weeks, she was given a provisional suspension. As a result, Devi was left out of the Asian Athletics Championships in 2023. Moreover, she had to miss out on the Asian Games as well, after having earned a qualification during the Inter-State Nationals.
After facing a provisional suspension, the Haryana-based quarter-miler scripted a brilliant comeback as she managed to clinch the gold medal in the women’s 400m final last month. Unfortunately for Anjali Devi, her name also appears in the list of athletes sanctioned by the NADA’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel. Her name was mentioned in the list that was updated on Tuesday (20th February) night.
She is not the only Indian runner to be suspended in recent times. Another well-known quarter-miler, Nirmala Sheoran, was handed an eight-year ban earlier this month. The NADA banned her for a second doping violation. She was first banned in 2018 for a doping violation but managed to stage a comeback, returning to the track at the Inter-State Nationals last year.
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