PTI
New Delhi, August 2: Shot putter Inderjeet Singh’s confirmatory ‘B’ sample also returned positive for banned substances, virtually ending his hopes to compete in the Rio Olympics.
The 28-year-old Inderjeet’s ‘A’ sample had returned positive for banned steroids androsterone and etiocholanolone, June 25 and now his B sample has also tested positive for the same substances, sources stated here Tuesday.
Inderjeet has been provisionally suspended and served a second notice by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). He will have to appear before the NADA disciplinary panel for a hearing and he will be given a chance to present his case before it. His out-of-competition test was done June 22.
After Inderjeet’s ‘A’ sample tested positive, NADA had asked the athlete, who had won bronze in the 2014 Asian Games, if he wanted to test his ‘B’ sample. Indereet had replied in the affirmative.
Sources informed that Inderjeet had requested for the ‘B’ sample test Thursday and the result came Tuesday.
The reigning Asian champion (won gold at the Asian Athletics meet in 2015) now faces the prospect of being banned for four years under the new WADA code.
After his ‘A’ sample had tested positive Inderjeet had claimed it was a conspiracy against him and his sample has been tampered with.
“This is a conspiracy and there is something wrong in it. My sample has been tampered with. This will be checked by the doctors though. Why would a player take something which is not good for his health,” the 28-year-old shot putter had said.
But now it appears that his journey to Rio will meet a premature end. He is one of those athletes who doesn’t train at the national camps, but prefers to do it alone along with his personal coach. So the question of anyone tampering with his sample doesn’t arise.
