Busan: India's ace distance runner Sunita Rani, who won a gold medal in the women's 1500 m event of the Asian Games setting a new meet record, has tested positive for the banned substance Nandrolone.

Rani's first sample taken after Thursday's race showed traces of the drug, which is one of the substances on the International Olympic Committee's banned list.

Confirming the development, the chef de mission of the Indian contingent Jagdish Tytler said that he was called by the Oympic Council of Asia (OCA) officials on Saturday night and was informed about Sunita Rani failing a dope test.

"We have appealed for a B-sample which will be done on October 25. Till that time we should not draw conclusions. We have to wait for the B-sample report," Tytler said.

Tytler said he had met the OCA officials along with Sunita Rani. "I asked her whether she had taken any medicines but she said that she had not taken anything."

The chairman of the OCA's Medical Committee Yushio Kuroda has not made any official statement on the issue yet but OCA officials said that a decision on whether to strip Rani of her medals will be taken only after results of the B-sample are known.

Rani has established a new Asian Games record in the 1500 m run with a timing of 4:06.03 sec, eclipsing the previous record of 4:12.48 sec which stood in the name of China's Qu Yunxia in Hiroshima in 1994. Rani also won a bronze in the 5,000 metres on Saturday.

Confirming the positive drug test, India's Chef-de-mission Jagdish Tytler said four members of International Olympic Council's medical commission heard Sunita Rani's reply last night and fixed the date for the second test.

"Initially they wanted the test to be done on October 24 but agreed to have it one day later as requested by us," Tytler said.

Rani set a new Asian Games record in the 1500m with a time of 4:06.03 sec, eclipsing the previous record of 4:12.48 sec, which stood in the name of China's Qu Yunxia in Hiroshima in 1994.

Meanwhile, an official of the Busan Asian Games Organising Committee sought to clear any doubts over the testing process and stressed that systematic procedure had been followed at the Korean Institute of Science and Technology in Seoul in the case of Sunita Rani.

"I am sure the Indian athlete tested positive," declared Lee Choon Sup, deputy secretary general at the headquarters for Games' operation here.

Lee Chun Sup said the medical commission had conducted tests on 750 to 800 athletes and only Sunita Rani and one body-builder from Lebanon, who refused to give his urine sample for test, have been found involved in doping.

The official said the report of Sunita Rani's test had been sent to the Olympic Council of Asia's medical commission.

However, OCA secretary general Randhir Singh feigned ignorance about the whole matter saying the medical commission was yet to inform the OCA's executive committee of the developments.

"There are laid-out procedures in dope test matters. The OCA medical commission has not informed the OCA executive committee. Neither the president of OCA nor myself are aware of any such news," Randhir Singh, who is also the secretary general of Indian Olympic Association, said.

Tytler said OCA did not have any role to play at this stage. "They come into picture only if the second test also proves positive."

PTI