Long-Distance Runner Sanjana & Coach Sandeep Suspended for Doping Violation

Last Updated:December 02, 2025, 23:54 IST

Sanjana Singh and coach Sandeep Maan suspended for doping after SAAF Senior Athletics Championships; NADA lists several athletes facing bans.

(Representative Photo)

Eighteen-year-old Sanjana Singh, who won two gold medals at the SAAF Senior Athletics Championships in Ranchi and her coach Sandeep have been suspended for doping offences. This sanction applies to both the athlete and her mentor, which is a rare occurrence.

Sanjana, who secured gold in the women’s 1500m and 5000m races in October’s SAAF event, tested positive for two steroids: methandienone and oxandrolone. According to the latest update on the National Anti-Doping Agency website, she has been suspended for these doping offences.

Sanjana will turn 19 on December 23.

NADA has also provisionally suspended an athletics coach named Sandeep (surname not provided) for “Trafficking or Attempted Trafficking of Prohibited Substances."

According to a report in PTI, this coach is Sandeep Maan, who trains Sanjana in Rohtak, Haryana.

A well-placed source confirmed to PTI that the suspended coach on the NADA list is indeed Sandeep Maan. Additionally, middle-distance runner Himanshu Rathi has been suspended after testing positive for the stimulant mephentermine.

Triple jumper Sheena Varkey has accepted a three-year suspension for a Ligandrol (SARM) violation under a ‘case resolution agreement.’ The 33-year-old from Kerala had won silver at this year’s Uttarakhand National Games.

Another athlete, Basanti Kumari, a distance runner who competed in the 2025 World University Games in the half-marathon, tested positive for 19-norandrosterone.

Lastly, weightlifter Sankar Logeswaran, who won gold at the recent Khelo India University Games, has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for the steroid drostanolone.

(With PTI Inputs)

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