LAHORE, May 4: Pakistan weightlifter Khurram Shahzad’s South Asian Championship gold medal is at stake after his dope test came out positive on Friday.

However, Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) secretary Hafiz Imran Butt told Dawn that he had challenged the result of the dope test and the organisers would now seek the result of the ‘B’ sample.

PWF secretary said that the PWF had not conducted dope tests of the senior weightlifters before they went to participate in the Championships which were held in March this year in Nepal.

Khurram won the gold medal in the 94 kg category.

Meanwhile, the secretary said the PWF had also given a NOC to an American athlete of Pakistani origin, Kulsoom Benazir to represent Pakistan in the last Asian Weightlifting Championship, which was recently held in South Korea.

He said that although Kulsoom failed to earn any position in the event, Pakistan had succeeded in showing its presence in the ladies’ event. He said that since the sport was not popular amongst women in Pakistan, the PWF had accepted Kulsoom’s request as she wanted to represent the country.