Discus thrower Seema Punia to be finally tested by NADA officials days after winning gold at Federation Cup

Patiala: Discus thrower Seema Punia will be subjected to an out-of-competition dope test before the Commonwealth Games as she could not be tested during the 22nd Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championships. [caption id=“attachment_1736635” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Seema Punia. Getty Images[/caption] Punia won a gold on the opening day on 5 March with a best throw of 61.05 m at the NIS Patiala but she could not be dope tested as National Anti Doping Agency officials did not turn up on that day. The NADA officials reached here the next day on 6 March but by that time Punia had left for home. The NADA has now asked the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to contact her and provide a location where she can be tested. The AFI has done so and the NADA officials are travelling to Sonipat to collect her urine sample. “We have sent NADA the details of the location in Haryana where their officials can collect her dope sample,” an official at the national camp here told PTI on condition of anonymity. “NADA officials reached here late by a day. “To be fair to her, Seema is not bound to wait for the NADA to come. She is not at fault,” the official added. With her gold-winning effort, Seema had also achieved the AFI norms of 59.00m for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. It was Seema’s best mark in two years and she was competing in her first competition of the year. The 34-year-old Haryana thrower has been a regular in Commonwealth Games since 2006 and has always been on the podium – winning a silver (60.56m) in Melbourne, a bronze at Delhi 2010 Games and a silver in 2014 Glasgow. Tamil Nadu’s pole vaulter Subramani Siva, who broke his own national record with an effort of 5.15m, was also not tested on the opening day. His sample was collected the next day, within the mandatory 24 hours to constitute an in-competition test which was required to ratify the national record. Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Games-bound Indian athletes are not likely to be tested again by the NADA before their departure for Gold Coast, as all the gold and silver winners have provided their dope samples during the ongoing championships. The team will be picked by the AFI selection committee and will be announced tomorrow after completing formalities with the government.