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Narsingh Yadav fails dope test, cries foul

Participation in Rio Games doubtful
Last Updated 24 July 2016, 20:14 IST

Narsingh Pancham Yadav, who won the right to represent India in the men’s 74-kg freestyle wrestling category, tested positive for a banned steroid just days before the Rio Games.

The incident has thrown his participation into serious doubt and has dramatically brought back two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar into the picture again.

Yadav had come through a high-profile court battle against Kumar to contest in the 2016 Olympics .

Yadav, who was training with the wrestling squad at the Sports Authority of India centre in Sonepat in Haryana, tested positive in an out-of-competition test by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) recently. He is believed to have tested positive for methandienone, an anabolic steroid.

 The wrestler, who was put through intense scrutiny following his court battle with Kumar, has denied any wrongdoing, saying a conspiracy has been hatched against him.
NADA director general Naveen Agarwal confirmed to DH on Sunday that the wrestler had already appeared before a disciplinary panel to state his case.

His second sample — the ‘B’ sample — was also found to be positive, he said.
“Yes, Narsingh has tested positive for a steroid. He had come to NADA on Saturday where he appeared before the disciplinary panel. His ‘B’ sample was opened in front of him and it too had come out positive. He has been provisionally suspended. All the procedures will be duly followed,” Agarwal said. Agarwal was confident that the panel would expedite the hearing of the case, considering the urgency of the matter, with the Olympics less than a fortnight away.

Meanwhile, Narsingh has claimed sabotage. “I have done nothing wrong. This is a conspiracy against me,” he said.

After the Delhi High Court gave the judgment in favour of Narsingh, there were also threats to his safety and the Haryana Police had provided him security. Inexplicably, the Wrestling Federation of India, which backed Narsingh in court over Sushil, has been completely mum on the issue and repeated calls to WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh went unanswered.

Narsingh’s coach Jagmal Singh questioned why a wrestler of international stature would take a banned substance just before the Olympics. “There is definitely foul play here. He will not do something so stupid. Someone has spiked his drinks or mixed something in his food. He is completely heartbroken,” Jagmal said.

Narsingh earned the Olympic quota for the country by winning a bronze at the World Championships last year.

With only one wrestler allowed per category to represent a country, Sushil had demanded a trial between himself and Narsingh to decide the selection. But the WFI backed Narsingh, forcing Sushil to move court, which ruled in Narsingh’s favour.

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(Published 24 July 2016, 20:14 IST)

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