Lifter Vikas cleared after being told to give dope test before heading home

Indian weightlifter Vikas Thakur, who claimed a bronze medal at the ongoing Commonwealth Games, was searched and dope-tested on the day of his departure from the event on unexplained suspicions.

Thakur, a silver-medallist at the 2014 Games, claimed a bronze in the men's 94kg category and was to leave with the team on April 11. He did leave but only after a last-minute check by the Commonwealth Games Federation authorities on inexplicable suspicions.

This was revealed by General Team manager Namdev Shirgaonker, while briefing the media about the latest needle controversy that hit India when race walker K T Irfan and triple jumper V Rakesh Babu were ordered to leave the Games for violating the no needle policy.

"They requested to take three athletes, one more athlete, Vikas Thakur was called. We took them to the medical commission. Thakur's bag was searched. He underwent a dope test. He answered all the medical commission questions, nothing was found in the bag and his dope test was clear," said Shirgaonkar.

"He was on his way home but unfortunately we were told that he should be brought to the medical commission. After that he was cleared and he went," he added.

Thakur does not have any doping history.