NADA provisionally suspends India’s fastest junior quarter-miler Sai Sangeetha
The National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) has provisionally suspended Sai Sangeetha, India’s fastest quarter-miler in 2024, after testing positive for a banned substance.
Notably, Sangeetha clocked her personal best of 55.13 seconds, securing a win in the Under-20 Federation Cup in Lucknow in March 2024.
She is a part of the list of athletes who are under a provisional suspension, published by the National Anti-Doping Agency (dated May 31, 2024). However, NADA didn’t mention the date of the test but specified that she tested positive for Stanozolol metabolites.
Sai Sangeetha might lose her gold medal secured at U20 Asian Championships
Sai Sangeetha was part of the Indian 4x400m relay team (Anushka Dattatray, Kanista Teena Maria, Sai Sangeetha Dodla, Sandramol Sabu) that clinched the gold medal, clocking 3:41.50 seconds in the Under-20 Asian Championships in Dubai in April 2024. However, Sangeetha might lose her gold medal after her provisional suspension.
Moreover, Sai Sangeetha also secured the Under-20 title win in the 400m National Open in Thiruvananthapuram in March 2024, clocking 55.30 seconds.
However, she surprisingly couldn’t make an impact as she failed to come close to that timing at the U20 Asians in April 2024, clocking 57.26 seconds, settling for the seventh position in the individual quarter-mile event.
Additionally, NADA’s new list of athletes under provisional suspension also includes Tamil Nadu athlete Jeyavindhiya Jegadish. Jagaish finished sixth in the 400m hurdles at the U20 Asians and tested positive for the banned substance Drostanolone metabolite.
Bihar’s girls' 1500m champion at the Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai this year, Durga Singh is also a part of the list published by the NADA.
Also, as per the list of the sanctioned athletes by NADA ADDP (Anti Doping Appeas Panel), 20-year-old Kerala sprinter V Neha, who was also part of the NADA’s April 2024 list of athletes provisionally suspended) has now been banned for four years, starting from December 6, 2023.
Notably, Neha won the silver medal in the 100 and 200m at the Junior Nationals in Coimbatore in 2023. It’s important to note that the latest list published by the NADA is outnumbered by the track and field athletes.