V.K Vismaya, who won a gold medal in the 4×400 meter relay at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, has been caught in a doping case. In an out-of-competition test conducted by NADA, a banned stimulant, clomiphene, was found in her sample. Vismaya is the second major athlete to be caught in doping after shot putter Kiran Baliyan, who won a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Temporary ban imposed on Vismaya
Vismaya’s sample was collected on 24 August 2024 in her hometown of Kannur. The athlete has reportedly accepted a temporary ban and admitted to using banned drugs. Vismaya was a key member of the Indian relay team that won gold in the 2018 Asian Games, alongside Hima Das, MR Poovamma, and Saritaben Gaikwad.
She also secured silver in the women’s 4x400m relay and 4x400m mixed relay at the 2019 Asian Championships in Doha. Also, Vismaya was part of the women’s relay team that finished seventh at the World Championships with a time of 3:15.77 minutes.
Other athletes test positive for banned substances
Vismaya is not the only athlete caught in doping. Sunita, who won a bronze in the 1500 meters at the National Open Athletics Championship, has tested positive for EPO. Sprinter Muskan Rana, who participated in the Delhi State Athletics, and decathlete Praveen Kumar, who competed in the Inter Railway event, have both been found positive for Stanozolol.
Clomiphene, the banned substance found in Vismaya’s sample, falls under WADA’s S-4 category. It is often used to stimulate hormones needed for conception in women.
