U-23 champion sprinter Taranjeet Kaur fails dope test

New Delhi: India’s fastest Under-23 sprinter Taranjeet Kaur of Delhi has failed an in-competition dope test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency, the source said on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Delhi sprinter has been one of the country’s best-performing youngsters in 2021. She won gold in 100m and 200m races in the National U-23 Championships from September 27-29 here, clocking 11.54secs and 23.57secs — her personal best — respectively.

Just a week before that, she won 100m gold in the National Open Championships with a personal best time of 11.50secs as well as 200m silver (23.64secs) though many top athletes skipped the meet as it was held after the Tokyo Olympics towards the end of the season.

”Yes, Taranjeet Kaur failed an in-competition test conducted by the NADA,” a source privy to the development told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The name and nature of the banned drug as well as the competition during which the dope sample was taken could not be ascertained.

The in-competition test could have been taken either during the National U-23 Championships or the National Open Championships, both held in September. If Kaur is found guilty of doping after her case is heard by the NADA Disciplinary Panel, she faces the prospect of getting banned for up to four years — the maximum ban period of first-time dope offenders.