Sunita Rani ( hi, सुनीता रानी; born 4 December 1979) is an Indian athlete from

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

who won a gold medal in the 1,500 m race and a bronze in the 5,000 m during the

2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 � ...

. Her time of 4:06.03 in the 1,500 metres is the current Indian national record. She received the

Arjuna award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...

in 1999 and the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

in 2015 for her achievements. She later raised controversy when she was charged with doping. Her medals were revoked but subsequently reinstated after an investigation.

Life and career

Rani hails from

Sunam Sunam Udham Singh Wala is a town and a tehsil, near city of Sangrur in Sangrur district in the Indian state of Punjab. The city of Sunam Udham Singh Wala, which falls in Sunam Udham Singh Wala tehsil, was previously known only as Sunam. The ...

, Punjab and is best known for her performance at the 2002 Asian Games, where she won a gold medal in the 1,500 m race and a bronze in the 5,000 m.

Controversy

Rani was hit with controversy about her performance at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, after she tested positive for nandrolone, a banned substance that aids recovery, strength, and endurance. Both her medals were revoked. The Indian Olympic Association fought to prove that the doping tests had major procedural irregularities and that the results were not valid. Rani has categorically maintained that she had not taken any banned substances. She had also cleared the dope test in Delhi, on the eve of the Indian team's departure to Busan. The Olympic Council of Asia later officially admitted that there had been discrepancies in her drug test. On 3 January 2003, the International Association of Athletics Federations officially cleared Rani of doping charges and reinstated her medals. The Amateur Athletic Federation of India held a 'Restoration of Medals' ceremony on 4 February 2003, to officially return Rani's medals.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rani, Sunita Living people Sportswomen from Punjab, India Indian female long-distance runners 20th-century Indian women 20th-century Indian people Indian female middle-distance runners Indian police officers Asian Games gold medalists for India Asian Games silver medalists for India Asian Games bronze medalists for India Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Asian Games World Athletics Championships athletes for India Recipients of the Arjuna Award Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports 1979 births Indian women police officers Place of birth missing (living people) Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games