New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) Indian hammer thrower Manju Bala, a bronze medallist at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, has been handed a five-year ban by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after testing positive for banned substances.

Manju, one of India’s most experienced throwers, was found guilty of using dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone (an anabolic steroid) and SARMS LGD-4033 (ligandrol) — both prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.

Her failed test was made public by NADA in September 2024, and the ADDP’s ruling, issued in October 2025, confirmed her suspension.

According to the panel, Manju’s ban will run from July 10, 2024, effectively ruling her out of all national and international competitions until mid-2029. The 35-year-old had represented India at multiple continental meets and was once among the country’s leading hopes in women’s hammer throw.

The ADDP also announced a series of suspensions across disciplines in its latest round of anti-doping sanctions. Mohan Saini received a four-year ban, starting October 14, 2025, for a separate doping offence.

Three bodybuilders — Gopala Krishnan, Amit Kumar, and Rajvardhan Sanjay Waskar — were each banned for six years, while another bodybuilder, Shubham Mahara, was handed a four-year suspension.

In boxing, Sumit was banned for two years, whereas canoeist Nitin Verma and basketball player Shivendra Pandey were suspended for four and six years, respectively, after testing positive for prohibited substances.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (ADAP) has upheld the four-year ban imposed in 2024 on sprinter Himani Chandel, rejecting her appeal. The panel found no procedural or substantive grounds to overturn the earlier decision, reinforcing NADA’s strong stance on doping violations.

–IANS

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