Javelin thrower DP Manu was on track to secure an Olympic spot through the world ranking quota but is now likely to miss the Paris 2024 Olympics due to recent developments.
Javelin thrower DP Manu has been instructed by the Athletics Federation of India to refrain from participating in competitions, following a directive from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), as he is under suspicion for a doping violation. The 24-year-old Manu, who clinched a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Championships, was nearly certain to qualify for the Olympics via the world ranking quota. However, this recent turn of events jeopardizes his chances of competing in Paris. Although he was initially listed to participate in the National Inter-State Championships, which started on Thursday, his name has been removed from the updated list of participants.
AFI president Adille Sumariwalla informed PTI that NADA had requested the federation to withdraw Manu from competitions, though he did not confirm whether Manu had indeed committed a doping offense.
“There might be something along those lines, but we’re not yet sure of the exact issue. NADA called the AFI office yesterday and instructed us to stop Manu from competing,” Sumariwalla explained.
“We don’t have specific details about the nature of the potential violation. I think Manu himself is trying to get more information from NADA on the matter.” Manu secured second place behind Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra with a throw of 82.06 meters at the Federation Cup held from May 15 to 19 in Bhubaneswar. He later won gold at the Taiwan Athletics Open in Taipei City on June 1 with a throw of 81.58 meters.
Manu was ranked 15th on the World Athletics Road to Paris list and was poised to qualify for the Paris Olympics, as 32 athletes are set to compete in the men’s javelin throw event. The qualification period ends on June 30.
Chopra and Kishore Jena have already achieved automatic qualification for the Olympics by surpassing the entry standard of 85.50 meters.
