Shot putter Vidhi fails dope test, out of Asian U23 C'ships starting Thursday

New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh's promising shot putter Vidhi Choudhary has failed a dope test and she has been pulled out of the Asian U23 Athletics Championships beginning in Ordos, China, from Thursday. The 21-year-old Vidhi, who won gold in the 2025 National Games, was earlier named in the 54-member strong Indian team for the Asian U23 Championships July 9-12). "Yes, she has failed a dope test and will not compete in the Asian U23 Athletics Championships," a source privy to the development told PTI on conditions of anonymity without giving details. When contacted, Vidhi, who trains at the NCOE Patiala, confirmed that she is not travelling to China for the U23 continental showpiece. "I will not be travelling for the championships," she simply said, without elaborating. Vidhi, whose dope sample was collected in May out-of-competition, had won gold in the senior Federation Cup in 2025 with a throw of 16.10m. This season, she had finished second in the Indian Athletics Series (senior) 5 in Sangrur, Punjab, on May 9 with an effort of 16.35m, which is her lifetime best. Meanwhile, India's fastest female junior athlete and Asian U20 Championships medallist Nipam Chauhan has tested positive twice for anabolic steroid Stanozolol and its metabolites, and has been placed under provisional suspension. The 19-year-old Nipam had clocked 11.53 seconds while winning 100m gold in the junior Federation Cup in April in Tumkur, Karnataka, to set a new junior national record.. Her first dope sample was collected in-competition in Tumkur on April 24. Later, another dope sample was collected by NADA officials out-of-competition in Bengaluru on May 12. Both tested positive for a combination of. She had won an individual 100m bronze and a 4x100m relay silver in the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong in May. If she is found guilty of doping, India is likely to lose the two medals she had won in the Asian U20 Championships. PTI PDS PDS KHS