Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 4: Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been suspended for 21 months for using an illegal substance. The suspension is in place until July 10, 2023, the International Testing Agency (ITA) said.
Karmakar’s higenamine test result was positive (S3. Beta-2 Agonists as per the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list). On October 11, 2021, a positive sample was taken for the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) as part of an out-of-competition control. The World Anti-Doping Agency added higenamine to its list of prohibited drugs in 2017.
A case settlement agreement was used to resolve the dispute in accordance with FIG Anti-Doping Rule 10.8.2 (FIG ADR and equivalent provision in the World Anti-Doping Code). Results for the athlete are no longer valid as of October 11, 2021.
Due to the suspension, the 29-year-old will be unable to compete in at least three of the six World Challenge Cup Series events as well as all Apparatus World Cup Series competitions. She will be qualified for the World Championships 2023 in Antwerp, which begin on September 23.
Karmakar is the first gymnast from India to participate in an Olympics.
At the Rio Olympics 2016, the Tripura girl created history by placing fourth in the women’s vault final. Giulia Steingruber of Switzerland won the bronze medal with a score of 15.066 points, just 0.150 points ahead of the fourth-place finisher from Tripura.
Karmakar became the first Indian female gymnast in the history of the Games to win bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She achieved two firsts for her nation when she won bronze at the Asian Gymnastics Championships and placed fifth at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
