World Cup gold medalist rower fails doping test

PUNE: In a major embarrassment for Indian rowing, and the Army Rowing Node (ARN) in particular, World Cup gold medalist Lakshay has been provisionally suspended after testing positive in an out-of-competition drug test. Lakshay, who teamed up with Ujjwal Singh last month to win gold in the lightweight double sculls at the III. World Cup in Switzerland, tested positive for stanozolol in a sample taken in Pune on May 25. This triumph was India’s first ever gold at the World Rowing Championships. The result will now be voided if an anti-doping violation is confirmed. The development is also a blow to India’s preparations for this year’s Asian Games, with the Lakshay-Ujjwal combination seen as medal prospects.The 23-year-old havildar from Haryana won the lightweight double sculls gold with Ajay Tyagi at last year’s Asian Championships in Vietnam, where he was also part of the silver-winning quadruple sculls team.