Discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur provisionally banned after testing positive for banned drug

Indian Olympic athlete Kamalpreet Kaur, who finished sixth in the discus throw event at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 last year, has been provisionally banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after she tested positive for banned drugs. As per The Associated Press, the 26-year-old discus thrower has been put under a provisional ban, while the doping case is being investigated. She tested positive for an anabolic steroid called stanozolol, which is most famously known for being used by sprinter Ben Johnson during the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

The AIU, took to their official Twitter handle on Wednesday night to put out a statement about the same. “The AIU has provisionally suspended discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur of India for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Stanozolol), a breach of the@WorldAthletics Anti-Doping Rules,” AIU wrote in a tweet. As per the official website of AIU, Kamalpreet’s doping case has been dated 29 March 2022.

More about Kamalpreet Kaur

Kamalpreet rose to fame by travelling to Tokyo with the Indian Olympic contingent for the 2022 Summer Olympics. She finished sixth in the discus throw event after missing out on a possible medal by a distance of just two meters. The United States’ Valarie Allman won the gold medal in the event. 

Meanwhile, Kaur first came to public light by setting an Indian women’s record of throwing the discus to a distance of 66.59 meters. Her record-making performance came in India, several weeks ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. As per AP, her Olympic result is unlikely to be affected by the doping case.

What stands next for Kamalpreet Kaur?

As per the AIU, under a provisional suspension, the concerned athlete is handed a temporary suspension from participating in any competition or activity in Athletics prior to a final decision in a hearing, keeping in mind the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules or the Integrity Code of Conduct. With the provisional suspension in force, the AIU case will have to go through four steps to complete the entire process. Pending first instance cases and First instance decisions will be followed by any pending appeal and the appeal decision will conclude the case.

(Image: AP)