India’s top sprinter Sekar Dhanalakshmi has been handed a three-year ban by the world governing body’s Athletics Integrity Unit for failing an out-of-competition doping test in May.
Dhanalakshmi’s sample taken on May 2 in Antalya, Turkey, where she trained with other Indian athletes, was found to contain metandienone, an anabolic androgenic steroid and an unspecified substance banned at all times by the WADA code.
The test was performed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The suspension period was to be four years for such cases. But Dhanalakshmi admitted the doping offense and accepted the sanction, resulting in a one-year reduction in his banning period.
The 24-year-old from Tamil Nadu will now serve a three-year ban from July 11, the date of the provisional suspension.
Rule 10.8.1 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules provides that “An Athlete potentially subject to an asserted four-year period of Ineligibility may be granted a one-year reduction in the period of Ineligibility based on an admission and an early acceptance of the sanction”. .
“On July 19, 2022, the Athlete returned the signed Admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violation and Acceptance of Consequences form. “The Athlete will therefore receive a reduction of one year from the claimed period of Ineligibility pursuant to Rule 10.8.1 based on early admission and acceptance of the sanction,” the IAU said in its statement. decision published on its website.
”Based on the Athlete’s admission of the anti-doping rule violations…the IAU hereby confirms the following consequences for a first anti-doping rule violation: a period of Ineligibility of three years commencing July 11, 2022 (the date of the provisional suspension).
”…and disqualification of the athlete’s results effective May 1, 2022, with all consequent consequences, including loss of all titles, awards, medals, point prizes and appearance bonuses .” WADA and the National Anti-Doping Agency of India (NADA) have a right of appeal against this decision of the IAU to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
Dhanalakshmi clocked a personal best time of 22.89 seconds to win gold in the 200m at the Qosanov Memorial Athletics meet in June, earning him a spot at the recent world championships through the rankings global. She was unable to participate in the showpiece after her doping offense.
She had won a gold medal in the 200m at the National Interstate Championships in Chennai in June with a time of 23.27.
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