CWG weight lifter Sanjita Chanu faces 4-yrs ban for failing dope test

Two-time Commonwealth Games champion Indian weightlifter Sanjita Chanu has been handed a four-year ban by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) for failing a dope test last year. Sanjita had tested positive for an anabolic steroid -- Drostanolone Metabolite -- that features in the World Anti-doping Agency's (WADA) prohibited list, during the in-competition testing at the National Games in Gujarat in September-October last year. Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) president Sahdev Yadav confirmed the development.

Sanjita will also be stripped of the National Games silver medal as a result of the dope test. Sanjita Channu had won gold in 48 kg ahead of Mirabai Channu at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She was crowned champion in the 53 kg category at the 2018 edition in Gold Coast. The Manipuri still has the option to appeal the decision. However, it is not sure if she will choose to do so. It is not the first time that the 2011 Asian Championship bronze medallist finds herself embroiled in a dope controversy. She had been banned by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in 2018 after she tested positive for anabolic steroid testosterone prior to the World Championships in the US in November 2017. In 2020, the world body, however, dropped the doping charge against Sanjita due to “non-conformities” in the handling of her sample.