In a rare incident, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has issued provisional suspensions to gold-medal-winning middle-distance runner Sanjana Singh and her coach, Sandip Mann, for doping offences. Sanjana Singh trains under the guidance of Sandip Mann at Rohtak, Haryana.
18-year-old Sanjana Singh won two gold medals in the 1500 and 5000 meter events in the SAFF in October, and she tested positive for two steroids, methandienone and oxandrolone.
The athlete, who turns 19 on December 23, has been provisionally suspended for the doping offence, according to the latest update on the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) website.
The NADA also mentioned one athletics coach, Sandeep (without surname), who has been handed a provisional suspension for “Trafficking or Attempted Trafficking of Prohibited Substances”.
Middle-distance runner Himanshu Rathi has also been provisionally suspended after he tested positive for stimulant mephentermine.
Triple jumper Sheena Varkey, 33, has accepted a three-year suspension for Ligandrol (SARM) use under a ‘case resolution agreement’. She previously won silver at the Uttarakhand National Games this year.
Distance runner Basanti Kumari, who competed in the 2025 World University Games marathon, tested positive for 19-norandrosterone.
At the same time, triple jumper Sheena Varkey has accepted a three-year suspension for a Ligandrol (SARM) violation under the ‘case resolution agreement’. The 33-year-old Kerala jumper had won silver at the Uttarakhand National Games this year.
Another athlete, Basanti Kumari, a distance runner who participated in the 2025 World University Games in a marathon, tested positive for 19-norandrosterone.
Weightlifter Sankar Logeswaran, who won gold in the recent Khelo India University Games, was also provisionally suspended after testing positive for the steroid Drostanolone.
