Twinkle Chaudhary provisionally suspended by AIU for use of banned steroid

The middle-distance runner’s breakthrough 2025 season is now under threat following a doping violation.

Just two months ago, Twinkle Chaudhary stood at the top of the podium at the National Athletics Championships in Kochi, her arms raised in triumph and a gold medal resting proudly on her chest. Twinkle Chaudhary’s timing of 2:00.71 in the women’s 800m didn’t just win her the race; it broke the meet record.

At the age of 28, the Jalandhar-born runner was being hailed as one of India’s most promising middle-distance stars, her eyes set on the global stage. But this week, the headlines changed.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Twinkle Chaudhary after she tested positive for methyltestosterone, a banned anabolic steroid under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s regulations. If the suspension is upheld, she could face a four-year ban—a sentence that would likely end her career and undo years of quiet, determined work on the track.

A career built on struggle and speed

Twinkle’s journey was never easy. Raised in a modest home in Punjab, she trained in various fields and competed barefoot in her early years. Athletics was less a career option and more a way to dream. Her national breakthrough came slowly, through performances at state meets and inter-university competitions, where her endurance and consistency earned her both medals and mentors.

The turning point came earlier this year. After Kochi’s victory, she travelled to the Taiwan Open where she clinched silver in the 800m, followed by a gutsy 4th-place finish at the Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea. For fans and coaches alike, this was the build-up to something bigger—perhaps even a ticket to the Paris Olympics.

That dream is now in jeopardy. The AIU has confirmed the presence of a banned substance in her sample, and though the B-sample result is pending, the initial decision casts a long shadow. Twinkle Chaudhary has not made a public statement yet.

Her coach, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested the steroid could have been consumed unknowingly through contaminated supplements. “She’s heartbroken,” he said. “This wasn’t the path she fought so hard to run.”

A deeper problem for Indian athletics

Twinkle’s case has once again spotlighted India’s struggle with doping. In 2024, the country recorded 214 positive tests, the highest globally. Cases have emerged across disciplines—from javelin to sprinting—and the trend is disturbing. For a nation seeking Olympic glory, such numbers undermine both credibility and culture.

Experts believe the problem lies in a mix of frustration, ignorance, and lack of support. Young athletes often chase short-term gains without fully understanding the long-term consequences. Many aren’t even aware of what substances are banned. The system, in many ways, has failed them.

But this doesn’t absolve athletes of responsibility. Public reaction has been mixed—while some fans have expressed empathy, others have called for stronger punishments. “She didn’t need shortcuts,” one X user wrote. “Twinkle had talent. But sport must remain clean.”

Now her future depends on the hearing. If her legal team can prove contamination or mitigate intent, the suspension may be reduced. But if the finding stands, Indian athletics will have lost not just a medal hopeful, but a symbol of what perseverance could have looked like, untainted.

For now, Twinkle Chaudhary waits in silence. And perhaps, in some dusty corner of a Punjab track, a pair of running shoes lie untouched, caught between dreams made and dreams undone.

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