Long Distance Runner Kiranjeet Kaur Handed A Four Year Ban

Long-distance runner Kiranjeet Kaur, who won the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K among Indian runners, has been handed a four-year provisional suspension by World Athletics' anti-doping body after testing tested positive for a banned substance.

Since the world’s Anti-Doping Agency has suspended the National Dope Testing Laboratory, which prohibits the NDTL from carrying out any anti-doping activities, Kaur’s samples were tested in the WADA laboratory in Doha.

Kaur as a consequence will lose the prize she won at the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K. Her ban period has begun on 15 December 2019, the date of the in-competition sample collection. She was provisionally suspended by World Athletics on 26 February.

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The ban means “Disqualification of all competitive results obtained by the athlete between 15 December 2019 and 26 February 2020 with all resulting consequences, including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, point’s prizes and appearance money according to Article 9 ADR and Article 10.8 ADR,” the Athletics Integrity Unit said, as per Times of India.

The Doha laboratory reported an Adverse Analytical Finding of Enobosarm and its metabolite in Kiranjeet's samples. Enobosarm, also known as ostarine, is an oral selective androgen receptor modulator.

"Enobosarm is a Prohibited Substance under the WADA 2019 Prohibited List (S1.2: Other Anabolic Agents). It is a non-Specified substance and is prohibited at all times. The Athlete did not have a TUE permitting the use of Enobosarm," the AIU stated.

Kaur was handed a provisional suspension on 26 February and was also asked to explain the presence of the banned substance in her body. Kaur stated that she had been suffering from typhoid and took medicine given to her by a village doctor, but did not know its contents. She also added that she had developed sudden pain in her breast and had been given additional medication to treat that.

Kaur had clocked 1:38:56 to finish 11th overall and first among Indians at the Kolkata 25K on 15 December last year.

The AIU reportedly found Kaur's explanation insufficient and issued a notice of charge on March 30. The AIU then offered her the opportunity to either admit to the Anti-Doping Rule Violations and accept a four-year ban, or to request a hearing before the AIU's Disciplinary Tribunal. Kiranjeet Kaur admitted to the Anti-Doping Rule Violations, on April 30, and accepted the consequences proposed by the AIU after missing four deadlines.

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Who is Kiranjeet Kaur

Kaur had clocked 1:38:56 to finish 11th overall and first among Indians at the Kolkata 25K on 15 December last year. The 32-year-old had won a bronze in 10,000 metres at the Federation Cup National Championships in March last year, in Patiala. The long-distance runner represented Haryana, she initially finished fourth with a timing of 35:49.96, but it was later upgraded to bronze after Sanjivani Jadhav was stripped of her gold when she tested positive for a banned substance.

Kaur had also taken part in the 5000 m race held in Patiala and secured the fifth position. She had also won silver in 5000 m at the National Inter-State Championships in Guwahati in 2018.

Ritu Yadav is an intern with SheThePeople.TV