Another Indian Athlete Flunks Dope Test, Learn What is Anabolic Steroid That Was Found in Her Samples

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Indian woman 400m runner Deepanshi has been suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after testing positive for anabolic steroids during the recent 63rd National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, held in Panchkula, Haryana.

The event was the final opportunity for Indian athletes to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024. With the Olympic qualification mark set at 50.95s for women's 400m, Deepanshi gave her all, securing her personal best by clocking 52.01 seconds in the finals.

Although she fell short of the Olympic qualification standard, the 21-year-old finished with a silver medal behind Kiran Pahal, who qualified for the Paris Olympics by clocking 50.92 seconds.

Personally, it was still a great achievement for Deepanshi, but her happiness was short-lived when the doping results came out. Unfortunately, the in-competition dope sample, taken on June 27 (either after her heat race or semifinal), contained anabolic steroids.

What are Anabolic Steroids?

According to Medline Plus, an official website of the US government, anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of testosterone used by some bodybuilders and athletes to build muscles and improve athletic performance. They may take the steroids orally, inject them into muscles, or apply them to the skin as a gel or cream.

This was the first positive doping case from the National Inter-State Championships. Deepanshi's performance had put her in a good position to potentially feature in the mixed-relay team.

However, the 21-year-old does not train at the national camp, and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) generally allows only campers to be a part of the national relay teams to avoid any doping cases.

Deepanshi's case might have validated this policy. Before her doping violation, she was the third-fastest woman 400m runner in India. She was a national U20 champion in 2021 and had her best senior-level finish with third place at the Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram in March 2023.