Bengaluru: India's 1,500M national record holder KM Deeksha returned a second positive test for a banned substance for an in-competition test.
Deeksha had already been under provisional suspension by National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) since last week following an adverse analytical finding. At that time her out-of-competition sample, collected in Bhopal in February, tested positive for the banned substance Stanozolol, a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid. The same agent has been found in her in-competition sample taken during during the Indian Athletics Series 2 in Jaipur in April.
The 27-year-old athlete is set to accept a reduced three-year sanction from NADA's Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel while she earlier considered to appeal after the first adverse analytical finding.
Deeksha, who set the 1500m national record at 4:04.78 in 2024, competed in just one event this season, where she returned dope positive. The UP-based athlete clocked of 4:25.74 at the meet, which was well below the Asiad and CWG qualification mark.
Sachin injured
Meanwhile, javelin thrower Sachin Yadav is battling an elbow injury that could rule him out of the Asian Games selection race. The 26-year-old athlete, who recently made his Diamond League debut in Rome, is unlikely to recover in time for the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar (June 24-28), the final selection trials for the continental event.
Sachin had impressed last season with a throw of 86.27m at the World Championships, where he finished fourth, ahead of Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem.
However, his recent form has dipped, managing only 79.07 while chasing the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 82.61 at the Federation Cup in Ranchi.
While no Indian javelin thrower has breached the CWG qualification standard this season, selections remain subject to Athletics Federation of India's discretion.