NADA panel bans distance runners Hemraj, Anjali for failed dope tests
New Delhi: Long-distance runners Hemraj Gurjar and Anjali Kumari along with wrestler Divya Kakran, and boxer Thokchom Yaisana Chanu have also been penalised with lengthy suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) of India.
Gurjar has been suspended for four years after the prohibited substance Darbepoetin (DEPO) was found in his sample while Anjali Kumari has been banned for six years.
Kabaddi player Manish Gulia and wrestler Omkar Shankar Chougale were also handed four-year suspensions for failing dope tests. Powerlifter Amita Devi Kotwol and a minor track and field athlete were handed six-year bans, though the details are not known. The decisions in their respective cases were taken on March 31, 2025, according to information provided by NADA.
All these cases along with swimmer Vishal Grewal and 19-year-old athlete Mishthi Kajla have been handed punishments by NADA's Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel in March and April after they failed dope tests last year and were handed provisional suspension. In March and April 2025, their suspensions were confirmed after the hearing by the NADA panel.
The 25-year-old Gujar, who had won a 5000m bronze in the 2023 National Inter-State Championships and gold in the National Cross Country Championships in 2023 and 2024, has been banned for four years. Gujar also represented India in the World Athletics Cross Country Championships last year. Gurjar's suspension came into effect on April 20, the day the verdict was delivered by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.
Vishal Grewal has been suspended for four years from December 8, 2023, whereas Mishthi Kajla, who won a bronze in the 2024 Federation Cup U20 Championships, will serve a two-year ineligibility from May 5, 2024, though the decision on her appeal was taken on April 15, 2025.
Anjali's six-year ban period begins on March 31, whereas woman pugilist Thokchom Yaisana Chanu will be out for four years from April 10, 2024. The decision on her appeal was reached on April 20, 2025.
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