Javelin thrower DP Manu, an Olympic hopeful, has been instructed to withdraw from competitions by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) following directions from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), due to suspicions of doping.
The 24-year-old, who clinched a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Championships, was poised to qualify for the Olympics through the world ranking quota.
However, this latest development has jeopardized his chances of competing in Paris.
Initially listed for the National Inter-State Championships that began on Thursday, Manu's name was conspicuously absent from the updated roster.
AFI president Adille Sumariwalla confirmed that NADA had directed the federation to prevent Manu from participating in competitions, though he did not confirm whether a doping offence had been committed.
“There could be something like that, but we still don't know what is the actual thing. There was a phone call to the AFI office (from NADA) yesterday that he (Manu) be stopped from competitions,” Sumariwalla said.
“Otherwise there are no details on what kind of possible violation. I think the athlete himself (DP Manu) is finding out from NADA what is the exact thing,” he added.
Manu showcased remarkable performances recently, finishing second behind Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra with a throw of 82.06m in the Federation Cup in May and winning gold in the Taiwan Athletics Open in June with a throw of 81.58m.
Manu was ranked 15th in the World Athletics Road to Paris list and was on track to qualify for the Paris Olympics, where 32 athletes will compete in the men’s javelin throw event. The qualification deadline is June 30.
Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena have already secured their spots for the Olympics by surpassing the entry standard of 85.50m.
A country can have a maximum of three athletes in an Olympics track and field event.
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