Picture Credit: Facebook/Anshula Rao
Madhya Pradesh’s Anshula Rao enters the history books for wrong reason as she becomes the first woman cricketer to get ban for doping after failing a test for the same. The all-rounder has received a four-year ban from National Anti Doping Agency (NADA). Anshula tested positive last year at Baroda for a steroid '19-Norandrosterone’ and failed to adduce any explanation on how the prohibited substance entered into her body.
Rao’s urine samples were sent to Belgium’s laboratory, which founded traces of the steroid. In her defence, the player mentioned that it was a false allegation as there was a four month gap between the dope test and the charge levelled by NADA. However, in a recent decision by NADA, she has been punished for consuming the banned drug "intentionally and knowingly" to boost her performance.
"In the present case the athlete failed to explain how the prohibited substance entered in her body and hence she failed to take the reasonable care as expected from an athlete," the NADA panel concluded citing that the presence of the drug in her urine sample in established beyond doubt.
Rao is also the first Indian woman cricketer to fail drug test
The Madhya Pradesh cricketer failed the drug test conducted by NADA last year and a decision on her offence was due to be taken. NADA was surprised to find this drug in a female’s urine sample, as it is majorly used by male athletes to for increasing muscle strength and speedy recovery.
Following this incident, NADA’s Anti Doping Disciplinary Panel underlined that it is the personal duty of a sportsperson to make sure that no prohibited substance drug enters their body.