New Delhi: Indian javelin thrower and Tokyo Olympian Shivpal Singh has been handed a 10-year suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) following a second doping violation, putting his athletics career in serious jeopardy. The 31-year-old athlete tested positive for methandienone, a prohibited anabolic steroid. The NADA Disciplinary Panel imposed the lengthy suspension after determining that the latest violation constituted his second anti-doping offence.
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Singh previously faced a four-year ban after his sample tested positive for a steroid during an out-of-competition test in 2021. However, after an appeal, the NADA Appeal Panel accepted his argument that contaminated supplements were responsible and reduced the suspension to one year in January 2023. He returned to competition in April 2023 and subsequently won bronze at the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar before claiming gold at the 2023 National Games in Goa.
Singh reached the peak of his career in 2019 when he won silver at the Asian Championships in Doha with a personal-best throw of 86.23 metres. He later qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, where he represented India in the men’s javelin event. The latest suspension could effectively end his competitive career, given his age and the duration of the ban. Singh’s case comes amid renewed concerns over doping in Indian athletics. Sprinter MV Jilna has also been provisionally suspended for a second offence after testing positive for mephentermine, while former Asian Games gold medallist Swapna Barman has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for boldenone. The latest cases are likely to intensify scrutiny of anti-doping education, supplement use and testing practices among Indian athletes.
