Indian discus athlete Kamalpreet Kaur provisionally suspended for positive steroid sample

After becoming an overnight star at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Indian discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur has been provisionally suspended after a positive test for Stanozolol, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Wednesday.

Stanozolol, a banned anabolic steroid, is the same drug which was famously used by Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson during the 1988 Summer Olympics. Kaur’s sample came back positive from a test conducted on March 29.

“The AIU has provisionally suspended discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur of India for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Stanozolol), a breach of the @WorldAthletics Anti-Doping Rules,” the AIU tweeted.

The AIU has also issued a ‘notice of allegation’, which bars her from competing in any event until a final decision is made regarding her case. If found guilty, she could be banned from participating in the sport for up to four years.

Following her impressive performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where she finished sixth, Kaur was included in the World Athletics Registered Testing Pool (RTP) registered testing pool for 2022.

Her positive result puts in doubt her participation for many events this summer. The World Championships in Oregon (July), the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July and August) and the Asian Games in China in September.

Kaur looked to be in good form in March, as she won gold at the Indian Grand Prix with a throw of 61.39m, which was far off her personal best of 66.59m set last year.

At the National Federation of Athletics Championships in April, Kaur was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury. The Fed Cup was where she had broken the national record, becoming the first Indian woman to go past the 65m mark.

Kaur had set a return date for competition in July at The World Championships in Oregon.

“I’m focusing on the World Championships, then will think about Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. I believe that at the CWG and Asian, the competition will not be as tough as the World Championships. That’s why my main focus will be on the Worlds,” she said.

The 26-year old Punjab thrower recently refuted allegations of a failed her drug test, claiming she has been subject to random dope testing several times without any positive results.

India has become the world’s third-biggest dope violator after Russia and Italy, according to a 2021 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report. Although most of the country’s offenders—57 of 152 have been from bodybuilding.