Manipur wrestler Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention for finding the “truth” behind the doping case against her.
Ms. Sanjita had won the weightlifting gold at the April 2018 Commonwealth Games in the women’s 53 kg category. But the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) suspended her on May 15, saying that a banned steroid (testosterone) was found in her urine sample taken on November 18, 2017, in the U.S., a few days before the IWF World Championship.
The weightlifter pointed out that the IWF admitted to committing some mistake, but the Indian Weightlifting Federation has refused to support her.
“I have never used any banned substances in my sporting career. I have always abided by the clean and fair play motto of IWF,” she wrote to the PM on Tuesday.
She said she was nursing an injury during the IWF World Championship and was under physiotherapy treatment without any medicine. “My performance in that competition was the worst in my career. So, the doping result of IWF is quite surprising and unbelievable,” she said.
‘My dream spoiled’
“I came from a very poor family, from a poor village of Manipur. I reached this level after facing many hardships. I spent the whole of my life and sacrificed everything for just one dream – to see our tri-colour flag fly high on the podium. But 12 years of hard work and my dream are spoiled by a doping charge,” Ms. Sanjita said.
The weightlifter, who had won a Commonwealth gold in 2014 too, said the refusal of the country’s apex weightlifting body to stand by her despite IWF owning up to the mistake was disheartening.
“You are my last hope. Please help me in finding the real truth and getting me the justice. DNA test on my urine sample may confirm my innocence,” she said.
Ms. Sanjita had set a new Commonwealth Games record at the Gold Coast event earlier this year with a lift of 84 kg in snatch before lifting 108 kg in clean and jerk.
She also tweeted the copy of the letter tagging the Prime Minister, Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Manipur boxer Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom and cricketer Gautam Gambhir.
