India's six top women athletes, including Asian Games double gold-medallist Ashwini Akkunji, were, on Friday, handed one-year bans for flunking dope tests earlier this year, virtually ending their chances of participating in the London Olympics next year.
Taking note of banned athletes like Ashwini Akkunji and Sini Jose training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre at Sonepat, Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Wednesday admitted that this is a serious issue and they are probing the matter.
Doping in Indian athletics assumed scandalous proportions after five more athletes, including Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medallist Sini Jose, flunked tests conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency. Jose, top quarter-miler Jauna Murmu, whose samples tested positive on Wednesday, another 400m runner Tiana Mary Thomas, long jumper Hari Krishnan and shot putter Sonia returned positive for anabolic steroids in their 'A' samples.
The dope-tainted trio of Sini Jose, Jauna Murmu and Tiana Mary Thomas face a two-year ban after their confirmatory 'B' sample tests also returned positive for anabolic steroids, on Friday. The trio had their 'B' sample tests done at the National Dope Testing Laboratory on Monday and the results confirmed they had flunked the test.
The Indian 4x400m women's relay team, led by Jauna Murmu, Ashwini Akkunji, Anilda Thomas and MR Poovamma, clocked 3.31.39sec to win the gold medal at the PTS Athletics Meeting in Samorin, Slovakia. Only 16 countries are eligible to compete in the relay events of track and field at the Rio Olympics, and as a result of their performance in Slovakia last night, India has improved its 4x400m women quartet's world ranking to 15th position which is a step towards that goal. As per the IAAF regulations, the 2016 OG qualification standards has to be attained between the period, January 1, 2016 to July 11, 2016. The Samorin performance is the Indian relay quartet's second fastest timing and improves its average from two-fastest races to 3:30.24sec.
The Indian women 4x400m relay quartet of Jauna Murmu, Ashwini Akkunji, Anilda Thomas and M R Poovamma enhanced its Rio Olympic Games qualification chances by winning a gold medal at the PTS athletics Grand Prix with an impressive timing of 3:31.39.
Following is the schedule of Indian contingent on the ninth day of the Asian Games, on Monday.
The 27-year old Lakshmanan, who bagged a gold medal at the recently concluded Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, has already qualified for the World Championships to be held in London next month.
India's Dharun Ayyasamy clinched a silver in men's 400m hurdles in national record time as athletics continued to swell India's medal tally in the Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Monday.
India continued its fine run at the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships, winning four gold medals so far on a rain-hit second day of the competition in Bhubaneswar.
Hima Das shattered the 400m national record for a second time in two days for a silver while Dutee Chand grabbed the second place in 100m dash on another good day for India's track and field athletes at the Asian Games.
The star-studded shooting squad was expectedly on target, while the track-and-field athletes continued their golden run as India held on firmly to the top spot by remaining way ahead of competition on the sixth day of the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati
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