Gold Medalist Gomathi Marimuthu Fails Dope Test Twice, Could Lose Her Medal If She Fails Another!

It has not been a month since Gomathi Marimuthu registered herself as the pride of the nation by winning a gold medal in the 800-meters track event at the recently concluded Asian Athletic Championships in Doha, Qatar. But what was more incredible than her trailblazing sprint, was her journey to the top.

In an interview with TNM, the high-spirited woman revealed how she marched towards her own success without any help from the government. She also highlighted the struggles of her father, who was unable to walk when she was practicing for the championship. Not only did her father help her with waking up and household work, but he also ate the food kept for cattle and saved food for Gomathi.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxLAqIsJroq/

Despite all the obstacles, Gomathi conquered the herculean task of bagging a Gold Medal at the international level and emerged to be a true hero.

However, life is cruel and Marimuthu has already started to get a taste of it. The 30-year-old athlete from Tamil Nadu has been tested positive for 19-norandrosterone, a metabolite of nandrolone (an anabolic steroid), thus failing a dope test. After failing to cross the test for the banned substance, she was handed a provisional suspension on Tuesday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxQGSykABwt/

According to NDTV, a top source told PTI,

“Yes, Gomathi has tested positive for a steroid and she has been placed under provisional suspension.”

That’s not all. While that was a test for sample ‘A’, there will also be a test for sample ‘B’, and if Gomathi fails that test, she might face a ban up to 4 years. In that case, India will also lose the Gold medal earned by her on April 22nd.

For a matter of fact, this is not the first time Gomathi has tested positive for a banned substance. During the March 15-18 Federation Cup, she had failed to clear a dope test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) in Patiala. However, the sample did not reach the officials on time. Speaking about the same, an AFI official said,

“We have learnt that Gomathi also tested positive in the sample taken during the Federation Cup which was held in mid March. But that report is yet to reach us even now, after more than two months. That report is on the way, we have told.”

“If the report was handed to us on time, she would have been stopped from taking part in the Asian Championships and the country would have been saved from this humiliation.”

“We have no idea why the NADA did not inform us on Gomathi’s dope positive result to us before the Asian Championships. There was more than one month’s time in between.”

It’s a pity that Gomathi has been found guilty of doping and we hope that her sample B turns out to be negative. It will be a massive satisfaction to know that she made our country proud by fair means.

📣 Storypick is now on Telegram! Click here to join our channel (@storypick) and never miss another great story.