Commonwealth Games Medal-Winning Lifter Sanjita Chanu Handed 4-Year Ban For Failing Dope Test

Sanjita Chanu had won gold in 48kg ahead of Mirabai Chanu at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. At the 2018 edition in Gold Coast, she was crowned champion in the 53kg category.

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New Delhi: Two-time Commonwealth Games champion Indian weightlifter Sanjita Chanu has been handed a four-year ban by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) for failing a dope test last year. Sanjita had tested positive for an anabolic steroid – Drostanolone Metabolite – that features in the World Anti-doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list, during the in-competition testing at the National Games in Gujarat in September-October last year.

Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) president Sahdev Yadav confirmed the development. “Yes, she has been handed a four-year ban by NADA,” he told PTI news agency.

This a is a huge setback for Sanjita, who will be stripped of the National Games silver medal as a result of the positive test. Sanjita could not be reached for her comment.

Sanjita had won gold in 48kg ahead of Mirabai Chanu at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. At the 2018 edition in Gold Coast, she was crowned champion in the 53kg category.

The Manipuri still has the option to appeal the decision. However, it is not sure if she will choose to do so. “I have already experienced this, why will I dope again and go through this again? I don’t know if I want to appeal or not. In both cases I will lose.

“If I appeal it will take time to clear my name and I will lose out on the chance to qualify for the Olympics and Asian Games. If I don’t I will be suspended,” she had told PTI in January.

It is not the first time that the 2011 Asian Championship bronze medallist finds herself embroiled in a dope controversy. She had been banned by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in 2018 after she tested positive for anabolic steroid testosterone prior to the World Championships in the US in November 2017.

In 2020, the world body, however, dropped the doping charge against Sanjita due to ‘non-conformities’ in the handling of her sample. “I have been in this situation before. But I am not able to understand how this has happened. Since that incident, I have been very careful about my diet and everything. I check my supplements carefully and ask if they are free of all dope,” she had said.