Seema Punia, four-time CWG and Asian Games gold medallist, gets 16-month ban for failed dope test

Seema Punia, four-time CWG and Asian Games gold medallist, gets 16-month ban for failed dope test (PTI Photo)

Former Asian Games gold-winning discus thrower Seema Punia has been handed a 16-month ban for failing a dope test. The 42-year-old Punia's suspension came into force on November 10 as per the updated list of dope offenders by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). NADA, however, did not specify the substance for which she has tested positive.

The latest offence adds to her checkered doping record, which includes two previous violations, one of them at the junior level. Her last major competition was the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 where she won a bronze medal. She is also a four-time Commonwealth Games-medallist, three of them being silver medals.

Her first and only Asian Games gold came in 2014, Incheon edition. At the junior level, she won a bronze in the world championships in 2002.

Apart from her, distance runner Pooja Yadav (four years), shot putter Manjeet Kumar (six years) and middle-distance runner Nikesh Dhanraj Rathod (four years) were also suspended for failing dope tests. Also suspended for four years were marathon runner Kuldeep Singh and woman steeplechaser Chavi Yadav.