Indian rower Lakshay Lakshay has received a three-year anti-doping ban, with the result that delivered India’s first World Rowing Cup gold also disqualified.
World Rowing said the National Anti Doping Agency of India (NADA) had resolved the case and imposed a period of ineligibility from 24 July 2026 to 24 July 2029. All of Lakshay’s results from 25 May 2026 onwards have also been disqualified.
That period includes World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, where Lakshay and Ujjawal Kumar Singh won the lightweight men’s double sculls A-final. Their 6:26.09 performance on the Rotsee had been India’s maiden World Cup gold.
World Rowing said the relevant results and any resulting medal allocations would be amended under its rules. It has not published a revised finishing order or identified the crew that will receive the gold.
Hong Kong’s San Tung Lam and Tik Lun Chan, who finished just over a second behind the Indian double, could see their silver medals upgraded to gold.
From Provisional Suspension to Three-Year Ban
The sanction concludes the process that began after Lakshay’s test flagged stanozolol, an anabolic agent that is prohibited. As Row360 reported in July, NADA provisionally suspended the Army rower while the case continued.
The sample was collected during an out-of-competition test at the Army Rowing Node in Pune on 25 May, more than a month before the Lucerne final. It was analysed at the WADA-accredited National Dope Testing Laboratory in New Delhi.
At the provisional stage, Lakshay could request analysis of his retained B sample. Rowing Federation of India president Balaji Maradappa told The Times of India that the federation intended to support that request.
“He has to apply, the federation can only support him. But we will (request for B sample test),” Maradappa said.
World Rowing’s announcement did not provide the disciplinary panel’s reasoning or details of any B-sample analysis. Before the case was resolved, a four-year ban remained possible if the violation was upheld without grounds for a reduced sanction.
India’s Lightweight Double Changes
The suspension had already forced India to reconsider its lightweight double for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which begin on 19 September. Lakshay and Singh had entered the season as leading medal prospects after their Lucerne victory.
The federation previously identified Ajay Tyagi as a travelling reserve and also considered trialling Rohit alongside Singh. Any change to the submitted crew required approval from the Indian Olympic Association.
Lakshay’s results before 25 May remain unaffected. Those include the 2025 Asian lightweight double title with Tyagi and double-sculls gold at the 2022 Asian Junior Rowing Championships.
