NEW DELHI: National-level triple jumper Sheena Varkey, who has represented India internationally and won multiple medals, has been suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after testing positive for a banned substance. The 32-year-old had also competed at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
“Sheena Varkey has been suspended,” a source confirmed, without revealing the specific substance involved.
Hailing from Kerala, Varkey claimed a silver medal at the Uttarakhand National Games earlier this year, followed by a bronze at the Federation Cup. She had also won silver at the 2018 Asian Indoor Championships.
This latest case adds to the worrying trend of doping violations among Indian athletes. On August 11, National Games gold-medalist discus thrower Gagandeep Singh was among several athletes across various sports who received three-year bans from NADA after admitting their offenses within 20 days of being charged. Representing Services, Singh had won gold in men’s discus with a throw of 55.01m at the Uttarakhand National Games on February 12. He later tested positive for testosterone metabolites and was placed under provisional suspension.
According to the 2023 testing data released by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), India’s positivity rate for banned substances stood at 3.8%, with 214 Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs) from 5,606 samples, of which 2,748 were collected in-competition. India’s positivity rate is notably higher than countries such as China, the USA, France, Germany, and Russia, all of which report rates of 1% or lower.
In Indian athletics, doping cases are the most prevalent, with 61 AAFs recorded from 1,223 samples.
