Dipa Karmakar

Dipa had to take a provisional suspension when her sample from an out-of-competition test had returned positive for a banned substance which she "unknowingly ingested"

Star gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been handed a 21-month ban for failing a dope test conducted by the International Testing Agency, contrary to claims made by Indian officials that her "suspension" last year was not related to doping offence. Karmakar's dope sample collected out-of-competition by the ITA, an independent organisation that manages the anti-doping programme of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), was found to contain Higenamine, which is a prohibited substance under World Anti-Doping Agency Code. Her ban period will, however, end on July 10 this year as it was counted from the day (October 11, 2011) the sample was collected. "The ITA confirms that Dipa Karmakar has been suspended for a 21-month period, effective until 10 July 2023 after testing positive for higenamine (S3. Beta-2 Agonists as per the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list)," the ITA said in a statement late on Friday. "The positive sample was collected on behalf of the FIG in the scope of an .

Karmakar, who finished fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has been struggling with injuries ever since she underwent a surgery to treat an Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in 2017

The biography accentuates how gymnastics as a sport has been majorly sidelined in India

Returning to action after a lay-off of nearly two years due to a knee injury, Dipa emerged triumphant in the vault event

Lack of service centres & bad roads in Tripura make gift an unviable option

Modi yesterday announced setting up a task force to prepare an action plan for next three Olympic Games of 2020, 2024, 2028

In the Olympics, Dipa, had ended up just outside a medal bracket with 15.066 points after putting on a superb display

The 23-year-old scored an average of 15.066 points, a mere 0.15 less than the bronze winner Giulia Steingruber of Switzerland

Lacking funds and resources, Karmakar has found her ticket for Olympic glory in the Produnova vault

Karmakar scripted history as she became the first Indian to make the cut for the individual vault finals in her debut Olympic Games

The 22-year-old became the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for the Olympics

Karmakar recently became the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for the Olympics

Gymnastics officials said that Dipa's feat was the first time an Indian woman clinched a gold in a global gymnastic competition.

Apart from being the first Indian woman, she will also be the only Indian gymnast qualifying for the quadrennial extravaganza after 52 long years