Three-time Asian Games medallist Seema Punia handed 16-month ban for failed dope test
Indian discus thrower Seema Punia, a three-time Asian Games medalist, has been handed a 16-month ban after a failed dope test.
Indian discus thrower Seema Punia has been handed a 16-month ban by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after failing a dope test. A former Asian Games gold medallist, 42-year-old Punia's ban came into effect on November 10, the date on which the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel’s (ADDP) announced her suspension.
However, NADA did not specify the banned substance that the discus thrower tested positive for. As per Indian Express, Punia reportedly tested positive for a masking agent in a test conducted last year. This is not the first time that the three-time Asian Games medallist has failed a dope test in her career.
The 42-year-old has a history of failed dope cases at multiple levels in her career. She has failed dope tests on two occasions in the past, including an offence at the junior level when she was just 17. Punia's first failed dope test came during the Junior World Championships in 2000, where she lost her gold medal after testing positive for a banned substance - pseudoephedrine.
Her second offence came during the Asian Games in 2006, when she tested positive for a banned steroid, stanozolol and had to miss the competition. She has now failed a dope test for the third time in her career and has been banned for 16 months by the NADA.
Seema Punia last won a medal at Hangzhou Asian Games
Punia's last major medal came at the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023, where she won a bronze medal in women's discus throw. She won her maiden Asian Games medal, a gold at the Incheon Games in 2014. She won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018, followed by another bronze in Hangzhou. Punia has also won 4 medals in the Commonwealth Games.
She last competed for India at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. The veteran discus thrower had expressed her desire to retire after the Paris Olympics last year, however, she failed to qualify for the showpiece event. In her long career, Punia represented India in four Olympics in 2004, 2012, 2016 and 2020.
The NADA has also handed out bans to distance runner Pooja Yadav and shot putter Manjeet Kumar for doping offences. Pooja has been banned for four years, while Manjeet has been handed a six-year suspension for failed dope tests. Marathon runner Kuldeep Singh and steeplechaser Chavi Yadav have also been banned for four years each.