22-05-2025
Neeraj Chopra's ex-coach slams Shivpal Singh over failed doping test: ‘I'm really pissed off… This is like cheating'
Shivpal Singh reportedly has failed a doping test for the second time in his career, and the Indian Olympiam javelin thrower is set to receive a ban of upto a maximum period of eight years if found guilty. According to an earlier PTI report, Shivpal, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics, returned positive after his urine sample in an out-of-competition test earlier this year. He has been provisionally suspended by the NADA. Reacting to the development, Neeraj Chopra's ex-coach Klaus Bartonietz was left fuming at the 29-year-old.
Speaking to PTI, he slammed Shivpal, saying, 'Disappointed? I don't know. But I'm really pissed off. So stupid.'
'It shows that you don't trust in this process. All those who are doping don't trust that they can reach the top by normal nature of training.'
The German bio-mechanics expert also said, 'It makes me so angry that they are promoting javelin throw everywhere and coming from a family of javelin throwers and then doing these things.'
'This is like cheating. And carrying the Indian flag proudly, saying Jai Hind, by cheating. I have no word for this. (But) the good thing about the Shivpal story is that, he got caught. So, the system is working,' he added.
Earlier in 2021, Shivpal's dope sample returned positive for a steroid in an out-of-compeition test. In August 2022, NADA handed him a four-year ban, beginning from 2021, deeming him guilty. He had to serve the ban till 2025, but succesfully argued before the Appeal Panel that he tested positive due to contaminated supplments. On January 2023, the Appeal Panel accepted his contention and reduced the ban to only one year.
He was back in action in April 2023 and bagged bronze at the National Inter-State C'ships in June that year, and also got gold in the 2023 National Games.
