Indian sprinter Himani Chandel suspended for 4 years after failing dope test
National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has suspended India sprinter Himani Chandel for four years with effect from June 15, 2023, after she failed a dope test. She tested positive for a banned substance Drostanolone.
Himani submitted her sample after clinching her personal best in the 100m event, clocking 11.69s during the 26 National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships in Ranchi in May last year.
Importantly, Himani Chandel was originally named in the Indian team for the 4x400 relay in the Asian Championships 2023 in Bangkok. However, Himani and Archana Suseendran were found to be involved in doping violations and eventually, the team was dropped.
It is intriguing to note that the highly accomplished sprinter Hima Das, who holds the national record for 400m, is currently subject to provisional suspension by NADA. It came after she failed to comply with whereabouts regulations over the past 12 months.
Himani Chandel and others on the list of banned athletes
The roster of female sprinters currently serving doping suspension continues to expand with Dutee Chand, Dhanalakshmi Sekhar, Archana Suseendran, M. V. Jilna, Taranjeet Kaur, Himani Chandel, Kamaljeet Kaur, and Diandra Valladares.
The trend should be enough to ring alarm bells within Indian athletics. It underscores the urgent necessity for increased awareness and more rigorous testing protocols across the board to prevent these occurrences from repeating in the future.
According to a report released by the WADA recently, India went past Russia as the top dope offender. In 2022, India tested a total of 3,865 samples — urine, blood, and dried blood spot (DBS) combined — during the collection period that began on January 1 and ended on December 31. Unfortunately, 125 of them returned Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs), with 49 of them athletics samples.
Furthermore, three minor track and field athletes and a minor weightlifter are also currently placed on provisional suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
A staggering 44 names have been added to the list of athletes under provisional suspensions as documented on the NADA website. The biggest concern is the revelation that at least 17 minors have faced sanctions with an ineligibility period spanning from two to four years.