Historic World Rowing Cup Gold In Jeopardy: Lakshay Faces Provisional Doping Suspension - Report

Published 25 July 2026 · local

Historic World Rowing Cup Gold In Jeopardy: Lakshay Faces Provisional Doping Suspension - Report Published By, Last Updated: July 25, 2026, 15:50 IST India's historic

Historic World Rowing Cup Gold In Jeopardy: Lakshay Faces Provisional Doping Suspension - Report Published By, Last Updated: July 25, 2026, 15:50 IST India's historic World Rowing Cup gold has been thrown into doubt after champion rower Lakshay was provisionally suspended by NADA following a positive test for stanozolol. Rapid Read Indian rowers Ujjwal Kumar Singh and Lakshay Indian rowing has suffered another major blow just weeks after celebrating one of the greatest moments in its history. Lakshay, one half of the lightweight men’s double sculls pair that won India’s first-ever gold medal at the World Rowing Cup, has been provisionally suspended by the Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid. The Army rower and partner Ujjwal Kumar Singh had scripted history in Lucerne, Switzerland, last month by clocking 6:26.09 to win India’s maiden World Rowing Cup gold medal.

The victory was widely hailed as a watershed moment for the sport and immediately elevated the duo into serious medal contenders for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. That achievement is now under serious threat. Positive Test Triggers Provisional Suspension According to documents accessed by The Tribune, Lakshay returned an adverse analytical finding for stanozolol, a prohibited performance-enhancing anabolic steroid, from an out-of-competition sample collected in Pune on May 25. NADA has issued the rower with an immediate provisional suspension while disciplinary proceedings continue. “It is hereby informed to you that your Sample A was tested at the WADA accredited laboratory Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), New Delhi… and was returned with an adverse analytical finding (AAF)," the notice stated. The agency further confirmed the suspension.

“In accordance with article 7.4.1 of the NADR 2021, you are hereby provisionally suspended with immediate effect and until the resolution of the case." Gold Medal And Asian Games Hopes At Risk If the charge is upheld and no mitigating circumstances are established, Lakshay could face a four-year ban under the World Anti-Doping Code. More significantly, all competitive results recorded from the date of sample collection could be disqualified, putting India’s historic World Rowing Cup gold medal in jeopardy. Lakshay and Ujjwal had emerged as one of India’s strongest medal hopes for the Asian Games, scheduled to begin on September 19 in Japan. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Siddarth Sriram After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas.