Indian athlete tests positive for banned substance

Bhubaneswar, July 7: The menace of doping has hit Indian athletics again with decathlete Jagtar Singh testing positive for a banned substance.

Jagtar, who competes in men's decathlon, was put under provisional suspension after his urine sample 'A', collected during the Federation Cup National Championships in Patiala last month by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA), tested positive for meldonium.

If Jagtar's 'B' sample also tests positive, the Rajasthan athlete could be banned for a maximum period of four years for a first-time dope offence.

Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Secretary C.K. Valson declined to comment on the issue when contacted by IANS.

Jagtar, who was part of the Indian squad for the ongoing Asian Athletics Championships along with fellow decathlete Abhishek Shetty, has been forced to pull out of the event.

Shetty was the only Indian representative in the event which started on Thursday.

Meldonium helps to increase stamina by expanding the arteries which improves blood flow as well as the flow of oxygen throughout the body.

It was added to the list of prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) last year and was made famous after tennis star Maria Sharapova was suspended for using the drug.