NEW DELHI, Aug 5: Double gold medallist Satheesha Rai has become the second Indian weightlifter to test positive for drugs at the Manchester Commonwealth Games, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported on Monday.

PTI quoted Indian Olympic Association director A. Prasad as saying Rai had tested positive for an unidentified stimulant at the Games, which concluded on Sunday. Rai won two golds and a bronze in the men’s 77 kg category.

India’s 62 kg lifter Krishnan Madasamy was stripped of three silver medals after testing positive for a metabolite of the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone.

India won an unprecedented 32 gold medals in a total haul of 72 to finish third behind Australia and England in Manchester.

Asked about Madasamy’s positive test and reports that Rai had also failed his drugs test, Indian Federal Sports Minister Uma Bharti told a press conference: “I want to know the full details... a doping smear should not stick to India.”

“The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has demanded Madasamy’s second sample be tested. If he is cleared in the B test, good. Otherwise I will look into it. Until the second test is done, we should not consider him a culprit.”

“There is politics everywhere,” she said.

India’s unprecedented success should be a launchpad for bigger success at this year’s Asian Games and the 2004 Athens Olympics, Bharti said.

“It was an unexpected performance,” she told reporters.

“I saw many memorable moments myself. But ahead of us lies the challenge of the Asiad and the Olympics. We should improve and also become consistent,” she said.—Reuters