Discus thrower Gowda to be awarded Asian Games bronze

India's record medal haul at the Guangzhou Asian Games will increase by one more as discus thrower Vikas Gowda is set to be handed a bronze after a Qatari athlete tested positive for a banned substance.

Ahmed Dheeb of Qatar, who had won silver in the men's discus with a throw of 64.56m, tested positive for exogenous testosterone metabolites and the Olympic Council of Asia said he will be stripped of his medal.

Iran's Mohammad Samimi, who had finished third with 63.46m, will now get the silver while Gowda, who was originally fourth with an effort of 63.13m, will be handed the bronze.

Another Iranian, Ehsan Hadadi had won the gold with 67.99m.

With Gowda's bronze, India's medal count will increase to 65 (14 gold, 17 silver, 34 bronze).

Gowda is still to get an official intimation and said he would be happy if he is getting the bronze.

"I have yet to get any official information that I am getting the bronze. But I will be happy if I get it. For any athlete who gets a medal in events like the Asian Games is always great," he said from US.

The OCA announced that Palestinian Awajna Abdalnasser, who took part in men's 800 metres race, also tested positive for norandrosterone, another anabolic agent, taking the total number of dope cheats in the Asian Games, held in Guangzhou in China last November, to four.

Two dope cases, involving an Uzbek judoka and a wrestler, had cropped up during the Games.