U23 wrestlers Neeraj, Ravi run away after winning gold, return for dope tests

Greco-Roman wrestler Neeraj and Freestyle wrestler Ravi Raj, who had left without dope tests, later returned had the tests done, as confirmed by the WFI Secretary.

Maharashtra international Ravi Raj had done a similar vanishing act a day earlier, after winning the men’s 74kg freestyle title. (Representative Image) | Photo Credit: Getty Images

After downing Services’ Parveen in a close thriller to take the 82kg Greco-Roman gold in the National under-23 wrestling championship, international Neeraj did the vanishing trick at the Rajiv Gandhi indoor stadium here on Saturday evening.

He skipped the medal ceremony and the dope test.

His coaches were summoned and asked for an explanation. And when they said that Neeraj’s phone was switched off, they were asked to wait. That put pressure on the wrestler and his coaches.

Maharashtra international Ravi Raj had done a similar vanishing act a day earlier, after winning the men’s 74kg freestyle title.

“Ravi Raj turned up last night and gave his dope test. Even Neeraj came later and gave his dope test today. Now we will have to wait and see what the dope test result shows and then act,” V.N. Prasood, the secretary of the Wrestling Federation of India, told Sportstar on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Haryana led the points table in the men’s freestyle and women’s event at the end of the championship’s penultimate day while Delhi was on top of the pack in the Greco-Roman.

The results (finals):

Men:

Greco-Roman: 55kg: Rupin (Har) bt Laishram (SSCB) by points. 67kg: Vinayak (Mah) bt Anuj (Del) by technical superiority. 82kg: Neeraj (Del) bt Parveen (SSCB) by tech sup. 130kg: Parvesh (Har) bt Deepanshu (Del) by tech sup.

Freestyle: 57kg: Rahul (Del) bt Suraj (Mah) by fall. 65kg: Anuj (Har) bt Jaskaran (Pun) by points. 79kg: Anuj Tomar (UP) bt Chander (Har) by points. 97kg: Sahil (Pun) bt Pardeep (Har) by tech sup.

Women:

53kg: Pooja (Har) bt Manshi (UP) by fall. 59kg: Mansi (Har) bt Manisha (Raj) by tech sup. 68kg: Radhika (Har) bt Pratiksha (Mah) by tech sup. 72kg: Sunita (Har) bt Laxmi (UP) by fall.