New Delhi: Indian para athlete Simran Sharma and her guide runner Umar Saifi have landed in trouble, days after the sprinter won two medals at the recently concluded World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi. Sharma’s guide runner, Saifi, has tested positive for doping. The 25-year-old tested positive for a banned substance and has been provisionally suspended.
As per a report in the Indian Express, Saifi has been listed in the National Anti-Doping Agency’s (NADA’s) list of athletes who have been provisionally suspended for doping. The list was updated on October 09. Saifi, who acts as a guide runner for visually impaired Simran, tested positive for a banned substance – Drostanolone.
Drostanolone is a steroid that is used to increase body mass and muscle, and reduce fat. It is banned by WADA and listed as a performance-enhancing drug. Simran won the gold medal in the women’s 100m T12 category and a silver medal in the women’s 200m T12 category at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi.
She was guided by Saifi in both events as the duo stood together on the podium. 25-year-old Simran, who won a bronze medal in the Paris Paralympics last year, won the gold medal at the Para Athletics World Championships this year after achieving a national record time of 11.95 seconds in the women’s T12 100m race. She was the defending champion in the women’s 200m T12 event, however, she clocked 24.46 seconds in the final to settle for silver.
“This is news for us also. We don’t have any idea about this, he might have tested somewhere from the World Championships,” Gajdenra told this daily.