Asian Athletics Championship: Indian decathlete Jagtar Singh fails dope test

Jagtar Singh, India’s representative in the decathlon event at the Asian Athletics Championship, has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs

India’s campaign for at the Asian Athletics Championship has been overshadowed by a doping scandal as leading decathlete Jagtar Singh has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. He was a part of the country’s 95-member strong contingent.

Jagtar Singh, who has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, was considered a potential medallist in the decathlon event. (Getty Images - image only for representative purposes)

The 24-year-old athlete from Rajasthan was supposed to make his international debut on home turf, but it has gone sour. He has pulled out of the continental competition and has been provisionally suspended, pending a hearing.

After Jagtar’s positive test, India is fielding only one athlete, Abhishek Shetty, in the decathlon event.

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The national champion failed an in-competition dope test carried out by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) during the Federation Cup in June. His case underlines a growing sense of impatience among many young athletes, with a rising trend of quite a few of them resorting to pills to win glory.

Patiala’s hot and humid weather in the first week of June perhaps denied him crossing 7000 plus points in the two-day contest. “In better conditions, (I) will do far better,’’ he had said after becoming champion. He may now have to wait for four years, as it is the period of punishment for a first offence.

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In Patiala, Jagtar didn’t report for a mandatory dope test immediately after the medal ceremony. After four hours, his immediate absence had raised doubts. However, he got the benefit of the doubt as he wasn’t given a notification by dope testing officials soon after the event was over.

Jagtar has made rapid progress in his short sporting career spanning over three years. Last year, he finished second in the national meet. In January, earlier this year, he became a champion in the All India Inter University competition, and followed it up with another outstanding performance at the Federation Cup in June. His future plans of representing India at the 2018 Asian Games are on hold now.