Why DP Manu withdrew from National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2024?

DP Manu has been provisionally suspended from competing in any events due to a failed dope test.

DP Manu, a promising Indian javelin thrower eyeing the Olympics faced provisional suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency due to a positive test for an anabolic steroid. Manu was ranked 15th on the World Athletics Road to Paris list and was on track to qualify for Paris Olympics 2024 where 32 athletes will compete in the men’s javelin throw event. The qualification deadline is June 30th.

Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena have already earned automatic qualification for the Olympics by surpassing the entry standard of 85.50m. In the track and field events, a country can field a maximum of three athletes in the Olympic Games.

Manu, aged 24 secured a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Championships and finished second behind Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra with a throw of 82.06m in the Federation Cup in May at Bhubaneswar. He later won gold in Taiwan Athletics Open in Taipei City in June with a throw of 81.58m and was nearly guaranteed an Olympic berth through world ranking. However, he will likely miss out on Paris following the latest turn of events.

According to a source familiar with the matter, it was confirmed that Manu tested positive during the Indian Grand Prix in April this year. Following NADA’s instructions, the Athletics Federation of India directed Manu to refrain from participating in competitions.

He was initially listed for the National Inter-State Championships, but his name has been removed from the updated roster. AFI president Adille Sumariwalla informed that NADA instructed the federation to prevent Manu from competing though he did not confirm whether the athlete had committed a doping offense.

“It’s possible something like that has occurred, but we still don’t have precise information. A call came to the AFI office yesterday from NADA, instructing us to halt his participation,” Sumariwalla stated. “As of now, there are no specific details regarding the nature of the potential violation. I believe the athlete himself, DP Manu, is in contact with NADA to ascertain the exact situation.”

If Manu faces suspension for doping, he would be the third javelin thrower trained by former Commonwealth Games medallist Kashinath Naik to be ensnared in such controversies.

Previously, Davinder Singh Kang, the first Indian javelin thrower to reach the World Championships final in 2017 and Shivpal Singh, who won a silver medal at the 2019 Asian Championships, both trained under Naik and were sanctioned for using prohibited substances.

Given the Athletics Federation of India’s new policy to hold coaches accountable for doping offenses, Naik will also face heightened scrutiny.

The disappointment surrounding DP Manu’s doping controversy is compounded by the fact that he was well-positioned in world rankings to secure an Olympic berth without resorting to illicit measures. Despite falling short of the 85.50m qualifying mark, his ranking offered a promising pathway to the Paris Olympics.

As India’s potential third javelin thrower alongside Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena, Manu carried the hopes of a historic achievement. However, his suspension due to doping allegations marks a significant setback for Indian athletics and cast a shadow over the sport amidst what could be the country’s most prominent doping scandal this year.

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