By Sushant Singh

Another blow for Indian athletics as NNIS Sports has learned that India’s current fastest U20 women’s 100m sprinter, Nipam, has tested positive for a banned substance.
Nipam began her 2026 season by registering a lifetime best of 11.53s at the Junior Federation Cup 2026, shattering the Indian U20 women’s 100m national record. The meet also served as the qualifying event for the 2026 Asian U20 Athletics Championships.
She then went on to win two medals at the 2026 Asian U20 Athletics Championships, claiming bronze in the women’s 100m with 11.62s and silver in the women’s 4x100m relay as India clocked 45.05s.

However, her in-competition sample collected at the Junior Federation Cup later returned positive. According to sources, her out-of-competition sample collected during the Asian U20 preparatory camp at SAI, Bengaluru, also tested positive.
When NNIS Sports reached out to Nipam, she said:

“I changed my supplement, and I am sure it is because of that. I have submitted the supplement and all the relevant details to NADA’s office.”

She further added:

“They have asked for the GST bill and all the other documents, which I am arranging and will be submitting to NADA.”

As per NADA’s documents, Nipam was tested in competition on 24 April 2026 at the Junior Federation Cup in Tumakuru, Karnataka. Her sample was reported to contain Stanozolol metabolites: 3-hydroxy stanozolol, 16 beta-hydroxy stanozolol, Stanozolol-1N-glucuronide, and 17-epistanozolol-1N-glucuronide.

She was also tested out of competition on 12 May 2026 during the Asian U20 preparatory camp at SAI, Bengaluru. That sample reportedly contained Stanozolol metabolites: 16 beta-hydroxy stanozolol, Stanozolol-1N-glucuronide, and 17-epistanozolol-1N-glucuronide.
Both samples reportedly tested positive for Stanozolol, which is classified under S1.1 Anabolic Androgenic Steroids on WADA’s Prohibited List.

 

Nipam said she had purchased a supplement called Ecdysterone Gold from a shop near her home. The product is marketed as a sports nutrition supplement containing ecdysterone (20-hydroxyecdysone), a naturally occurring phytoecdysteroid found in plants such as spinach, quinoa, Rhaponticum carthamoides, and Cyanotis species. It is promoted as a “natural anabolic” supplement for muscle growth and strength.
Ecdysterone itself is not currently prohibited by WADA.

 

It is included in WADA’s 2026 Monitoring Program, meaning the agency is collecting data on its use and prevalence. Inclusion in the Monitoring Program does not mean the substance is prohibited.
Whether the supplement was contaminated or contained any prohibited substance will only become clear after laboratory testing of the supplement.