New Delhi: The 2023 Hangzhou Asian Video games 10,000m silver medallist Kartik Kumar has failed dope assessments on the altitude base of Colorado Springs, United States, the place India’s distance runners are primarily based for coaching and competitors. It’s understood that he examined optimistic for banned steroids in two out-of-competition assessments carried out by the US Anti Doping Company (USADA) in February and March.
Kartik Kumar (left) and Gulveer Singh rejoice after successful the silver and bronze medal respectively within the males’s 10000m athletics occasion on the Asian Video games, in Hangzhou, China. (PTI)
A high AFI official confirmed the event. “We got to know from NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) today and action has been initiated as per rules and protocol of AFI (Athletics Federation of India),” the official advised HT.
Kartik has been provisionally suspended and has returned to India. On the Hangzhou Asian Video games, he clocked a private better of 28:15.38 to take 10,000m silver with Gulveer Singh (28:17.21) claiming bronze. Final yr, the Asian Championship U-20 medallist improved his private greatest to twenty-eight:01.90 in a meet within the USA. His greatest in 5000m is 13:37.64, which additionally got here in 2024.
This season, Kartik has competed in two meets within the US. He ran 5000m (brief monitor) in an invitational meet, clocking a gradual 14:05.67secs. At Sound Operating Observe Fest (March 29), he competed within the 10,000m, ending eighth with a timing of 28:11.34. In the identical competitors, Gulveer, who has run various quick races this season, clocked a nationwide document time of 27:00.22 in 10,000m. US athletics coach Scot Simmons, who’s supervising the coaching of the Indian athletes, talked about lately that Gulveer has additionally been dope examined.
In a submit on X, addressing questions on whether or not Indian athletes, significantly Gulveer, have been dope examined, Simmons mentioned: “All three national records (as well as all national record over the past year) testing by USADA was arranged. In fact, including out of competition tests, Singh has been tested by USADA five times since February 14.” In mid-February, Gulveer bettered the three,000m indoor nationwide document at a meet in Boston, and the 5,000m mark additionally on the identical venue on February 21, clocking 12:59.77. He bettered the ten,000m document at San Juan Capistrano, California on March 29.
The elite Indian distance runners, in addition to military runners Gulveer and Kartik, Paris Olympian Ankita Dhyani has additionally been coaching at Colorado Springs. This busy season consists of the Asian Championships in South Korea and the World Championships in Tokyo. India’s core group of athletes repeatedly practice on the high-performance coaching centre in Colorado Springs each season. Kartik’s optimistic dope check although has raised doubts concerning the programme.