CWG 2018 gold medallist Punam Yadav won't be considered for Jakarta Asian Games, Tokyo Olympics team

After her exclusion from the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme on Thursday, 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Punam Yadav’s dream of representing India at this year’s Asian Games in Jakarta and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics seems to be in jeopardy. This, after the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) said that the 22-year-old lifter would not be considered for selection for the forthcoming mega event on disciplinary grounds. [caption id=“attachment_4465641” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Punam Yadav gestures towards the judges after a successful lift at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Reuters[/caption] The IWLF had suspended the 69kg category lifter last month for leaving the national camp without permission and had issued a show-cause notice. “When IWF contacted her about her no-show at the camp, her response was not satisfactory. If she had some injury or something, she should have told us as we have good facilities for sports injuries at the camp,” IWLF Secretary General Sahdev Yadav was quoted as saying by The Hindustan Times. “I don’t know what will happen to her career, but one thing is sure, her participation for the Asian Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are almost impossible, and IWLF is not going to support her. She has also been removed from the core group," he added. On her return from Gold Coast in April, the federation had asked Punam to get a dope test done from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) at her own cost before reporting back to the training camp. However, the IWLF wasn’t happy with her response to the suspension notice. In an interview to The Times of India, Sahdev stated that Punam won’t be allowed to participate in the trials for Asian Games. “Let me make it clear, she won’t join the national camp ever and won’t be considered for TOP funding in future. The federation has told this to the Sports Authority of India (SAI). It’s a serious breach of discipline on her part. Only those who are part of the camp will be considered for Asiad selection and other competitions in future. We have learnt that she is enjoying her time in her hometown Varanasi,” he added. Soon after returning from Gold Coast, Punam and her family got embroiled in a land dispute between relatives and their neighbours at her village in Varanasi.