BANGALORE:
Freestyle wrestler Narsingh Yadav, who has secured a quota for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the 74 kg category, has been alleged to have tested positive for a banned substance. Narsingh maintains that there is a conspiracy against him and he is confident that the truth will come out.
Narsingh tested positive for a banned substance in a random dope test conducted by the National
Anti Doping Agency (NADA) at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Northern Regional Centre in Bahalgarh near Sonepat, Haryana.
“I have been a professional freestyle wrestler for over 15 years and I have undergone almost 25-30 dope tests. I have come out clean every single time and never have any of my samples returned positive results,” he said.
“I have undergone three tests in the last month and a half. I appeared for a dope test on the 2nd of June before leaving for a training camp in Bulgaria. I was again tested on my return on the 25th of June and once again on the 5th of July”, he said.
“I believe that there is foul play involved in this entire episode. Someone has sabotaged my food supplements and water intake. I take pride in the fact that I have competed in every competition, international and domestic, in an honest, fair and transparent manner and I will continue to do so. I am a responsible athlete with an understanding of the country’s expectations and hopes on me. I would never dream of betraying that hope.” he said.
Narsingh won a Bronze medal at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas by which he secured a quota for the upcoming Olympic games. Narsingh won the Gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and then clinched Bronze medals at the 2014 Asian Games and the 2015 Asian Wrestling Championship. Narsingh has no previous doping infractions and the 27-year-old maintains that he has always complied with World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) and NADA requirements for random tests.
