Indian 400-meter runner Deepanshi fails doping test and is suspended

Another Indian runner has been caught by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for a doping offence. India’s top 400m runner Deepanshi has been suspended by NADA for receiving a positive doping result during the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Panchkula.

Deepanshi had won the silver medal in the 400m race with a time of 52.01 seconds. The 21-year-old runner finished behind Kiran Pahal, who finished the race in 50.92 seconds.

The sample of the runner from Haryana was collected on June 27 and the result was positive for anabolic steroids.

Deepanshi, who is not training in the national camp, was not available for comment.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has a guideline for runners to select only athletes from the national camp, as they are closely monitored by the national association and testing outside of competitions is also possible without any problems.

However, in Deepanshi’s case, the runner’s inclusion is justified as she was the third fastest runner in the country before the doping test.

This is the first positive doping case at the National Inter-State Championships. The event in Panchkula was the last qualifying event for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The Haryana-born athlete was the national champion in the U20 category in 2021. She rose through the rankings and finished third in the Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram in March last year, which was her best performance at the senior level.

At the National Inter-State Athletics Championships, Deepanshi clocked 53.87 seconds in the preliminary rounds, 52.12 seconds in the semi-finals and further improved her time to 52.01 seconds in the final.