Athlete Nirmala Sheoran handed eight-year ban by NADA after second doping infraction
The 28-year-old Indian 400m runner, a Rio 2016 Olympian, tested positive for Anabolic Androgenic Steroids and Testosterone - both performance-enhancing substances.
Athletics
Indian athlete Nirmala Sheoran has been handed an eight-year ban by the National Anti-Doping Agency's (NADA) Disciplinary Panel after testing positive for a banned substance.
It was the 400m athlete’s second infraction. Nirmala had failed a dope test in 2018 and served a four-year ban before returning to the track at the National Inter-State Championships held in Bhubaneswar in June last year.
In an order passed by the NADA's Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel on December 27 and revealed only on Thursday, Sheoran has been banned for eight years, starting from August 7 last year.
This time, the 28-year-old Nirmala Sheoran tested positive for Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) and Testosterone (T) - both performance-enhancing substances (PEDs) which help in muscle building and enhance strength. AAS are synthetic man-made testosterone - the principal male hormone.
The Indian athlete can still appeal her ban.
Before her first ban in 2018, Nirmala was regarded as one of the premier female quarter-milers in the Indian athletics scene. She even won gold in the women’s 400m race at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships held in Bhubaneswar but was later stripped of her medal.
Nirmala Sheoran also competed at the Rio 2016 Olympics where she took part in the women’s 400m and 4x400m relay events.