Hima Das to return to action after being cleared by NADA from suspension

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Hima Das

Hima Das, India’s celebrated sprinter, is set to make a triumphant return to the track at the Indian Grand Prix 1 in Bengaluru. This comes after the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) cleared her following a hearing last month

NADA lifts suspension on Hima Das

Last year, Hima was provisionally suspended by NADA due to three whereabouts failures within 12 months. Under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, any combination of three whereabouts failures – filing failure and/or missed test – within a period of 12 months constitute an anti-doping rule violation.

The specifics of Hima’s clearance by the NADA disciplinary panel remain undisclosed, leaving room for speculation about the nature of her violations and the subsequent ruling. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, multiple whereabouts failures within a year constitute an anti-doping violation, potentially resulting in a ban of up to two years.

However, the NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel cleared her to compete again in a hearing last month. The details of how the panel reached this decision have not been disclosed.

Hima Das had won a 400m individual silver at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. She was also a part of the gold and silver-winning women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m relay quartets in Jakarta. However, she was not named in the Hangzhou Asian Games team last year due to an injury she had sustained earlier.

Her last race was a 200m during the Indian Grand Prix in Bengaluru in April last year, where she won gold with a time of 23.77 seconds. After that, she missed the whole of the 2023 season.

Now, Hima Das is all set to compete in the women’s 200m race at the Indian Grand Prix 1 on April 30. Her return to the track is eagerly anticipated by fans and fellow athletes alike.

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