Former Asiad relay gold medallist Vismaya tests positive

Vismaya (right) was a star of the Indian 4x400m women’s relay team that won the gold at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta
| Photo Credit: File photo

V.K. Vismaya, who anchored the Indian women’s 4x400m relay team to gold at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, has tested positive for dope.

The 27-year-old quartermiler was tested at her home at Perumbavur, near Kochi, in an out-of-competition test on August 15 and the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) informed the athlete on September 12 that her urine sample contained Clomiphene which comes under the hormone and metabolic modulators category which is prohibited at all times.

Clomiphene, according to Sport Integrity Australia, is a non-steroidal medication used clinically to induce ovulation in women and increase testosterone levels in males.

Vismaya, who last competed on June 1 in a Taipei meet, explained she had taken it as a fertility drug.

“I agree I had taken it because it induces ovulation. I had mentioned this in the NADA form when they came to take the test. But they did not consider it,” Vismaya told The Hindu on Monday.

Vismaya, who was also a part of the Indian mixed relay team which finished seventh in the 2019 Doha Worlds, said she had twice sent detailed letters to NADA explaining her case.

“They (NADA officials) asked me whether I wanted my ‘B’ sample to be tested and whether I accepted that I had taken the drug. I know I had taken the medicine so there was no point in challenging that. And now since I’m pregnant, I cannot run after the case. I’m alone at home, my husband is in the Army, and I cannot get worried about the case at this point of time, so there is no point in challenging the case.”

Vismaya said that she would consider legal options later.