The latest AIU update on December 31 detailed a three-year ban for Devi following a positive test on March 26.

The 27-year-old won the women’s national 10 kilometres cross country title at Kohima, in Nagaland.

Devi, who also earned the South Asian title as that event was run concurrently, had won the silver medal in the previous edition, run in 2020.

Three of her compatriots have also been banned for three years.

Ankit Malik, a 20-year-old who has a 1500 metres best of 3min 51.49sec, 19-year-old middle distance runner Prashant Choudhary and 21-year-old discus thrower Tanuja, a silver medallist at this year’s All India Inter-University Championships.

Meanwhile Italian distance runner Alessandro Braconi has been banned for a total of 36 years - his own age - from July 21 last year until March 23 in 2058.

That represents sanctions for use/attempted use; possession; and trafficking/attempted trafficking of a prohibited substance, following his provisional suspension in March.

Doping is now a criminal offence in Italy so he had to explain his actions and the authorities were obliged to investigate.

Braconi was one of three Italian athletes on the latest AIU list, the others being long distance runner and former cyclist Christian Barchi, who also incurred a long ban after competing for a second time while sanctioned.

Barchi, then 28, was found guilty of doping with clenbuterol in March 2019 and banned for four years, two months until June 16 this year.

In March 2020 Barchi was found guilty of continuing to participate in sporting activities while banned, resulting in another four years being added to his original sentence and moving the expiration to June 2027.

But Barchi has one again violated the rule about competing while banned, incurring an additional sanction which takes his ban up until June 16 in 2031.

Long distance runner Lorenzo Milani incurred a three-month ban.

The latest Kenyan athletes to be sanctioned are long distance runners Shieca Cherotich Kimngetich, who earned a three-year ban, and Sally Korir Jepkemei, who had an additional four years added to her original two-year ban.

Romania’s Vasile Bogdan, athlete support personnel, earned a two-year ban until October 10 next year.

Russian discus thrower Elena Panova earned a two-year ban until April this year following an adverse finding from 2015.

Two other long distance runners received bans in the latest round of sanctions - Turkmenistan’s Hangeldi Atageldiyev, who earned a three-year ban, and Israel’s Tadesse Getahon, banned for four months and 10 days.