New Delhi: Javelin thrower Shivpal Singh has flunked a dope test for the second time and could be banned for eight years that would effectively end his career.
He has been placed under provisional suspension after traced of prohibited substance methandienone were found in his urine sample, reports The Tribune.
The 29-year-old had earlier tested positive for the same performance-enhancing steroid in 2021, for which he had served a one-year suspension.
Shivpal had represented the country at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing 27th, has been caught in the dope net after an out-of-competition testing earlier in the year.
He was training under India’s javelin coach Sergey Makarov in Patiala’s National Centre of Excellence then and didn’t participate in the National Federation Senior Athletics Championships, which was held in Kochi in April.
As per rules of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an athlete could be banned for a maximum period of eight years if found guilty of a second doping offence.
Should Shivapl be found guilty in probe, his career would be as good as over. But he denied to be placed under suspension and insisted on continuing his training in Patiala.
“It is not true. I am not under any suspension. I am still in Patiala training. I do not know who is spreading such rumours about me,” Shivpal told The Tribune, adding that he skipped the Federation Championships as his form is not up to the mark.
With a personal best throw of 86.23m, Shivpal had claimed the silver medal at the 2019 Asian Championships in Doha.
After receiving a four-year ban from NADA in August 2022 for returning positive in 2021, his appeal of consuming “contaminated supplements” as the reason for his dope test failure was upheld.
The appeals committee of NADA reduced the period of ban from four years to one, allowing him to return to track in April 2023 and bag bronze at the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar, following it up with gold at the 2023 National Games in Goa.
Javelin thrower Shivpal Singh had earlier tested positive for the same performance-enhancing steroid in 2021, for which he had served a one-year suspension. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
