Hit at National Games, flop in national camps

Tribune News Service

Vinayak Padmadeo

Gandhinagar, October 4

Uttar Pradesh’s Purnima Pandey approached Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) president Sahdev Yadav after winning the +87kg gold medal today.

She wanted his blessings going forward. “My blessings are with all the players,” Yadav said. “What I want from you is to join the camp and not do anything wrong. You know what I mean,” he added.

Yadav’s reply hinted at the problem of doping, which has been hurting the sport for long. “We are fed up with this menace,” Yadav said. “Here they are making records and walking around with their chests puffed out. They beat our campers in such tournaments and then never give the same performance again. Someone should ask them and their coaches why they never do well out of the country and why they are not part of the core group or probable list for the 2024 Olympic Games,” he added.

Purnima won the gold medal with a combined total of 215kg. The 25-year-old was suspended for a doping violation in 2019, and has only returned to the sport after serving out the suspension. Kerala’s Ann Mariya won the silver with a total of 211kg, while Punjab’s Manpreet Kaur bagged the bronze medal with a total of 207kg.

Arunachal Pradesh’s Sambo Lapung broke Vikas Thakur’s clean & jerk record on Monday. Tamil Nadu’s N Ajith bettered Commonwealth Games gold medallist Achinta Sheuli’s clean & jerk record to win the gold medal on Saturday. Sheuli, who was still nursing a hamstring and knee injury, finished second.

‘They never stay in camps’

There is a big reason why the IWLF does not want to give one inch to the dope offenders. As per the International Weightlifting Federation rules, three doping violations in an international tournament from one country would mean docking one quota place for the Olympics.

Further, India was ranked third behind Russia and Italy last year when the World Anti-Doping Agency published a list of countries with the most doping violations. Weightlifting contributed significantly to the overall number with 25 suspensions.

Yadav explained how many of the medallists here and from the National Championships hardly stay for long in the national camps because of a strict compliance against doping. Other than the random searches of the rooms, the campers are regularly tested.

“They train outside. The main reason is doping. It is an open secret,” Yadav said. “We invite the top two finishers from these championships to join the national camps. They join and then leave after a couple of months. During their time at the camp, their performance is drastically affected, and the lifts sometimes see a decline of 10-20kg. Regular campers such as Mirabai (Chanu) and Jeremy (Lalrinnunga) get tested all the time and their performance never goes down,” he added.

More testing

Yadav wants the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to also randomly collect samples from athletes who do not train at the national camps. “NADA should test them randomly even if they are outside the camp. I request that they be tested early in the morning, at around 5am, as some of them are using human growth hormones. Someone is helping them cheat. The state boards should also keep an eye on these things,” Yadav said.