Nigeria is holding its breath.World 100m hurdles champion Tobi Amusan is facing suspension for an anti-doping rule violation. She could miss the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.
It’s a thunderclap in the world of athletics. Tobi Amusan, who has been an outstanding performer over the past year, may not be able to defend her 100m hurdles title in Budapest in August. The Athletics Integrity Unit has accused her of an anti-doping rule violation.The Nigerian is alleged to have missed three tests in the space of 12 months.This is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
However, Tobi Amusan plans to defend herself and provide proof of her innocence. She announced this on her Instagram account. “Today (Wednesday), the AIU accused me of an alleged rule violation for missing 3 tests in 12 months. I am a clean athlete, and I am regularly (perhaps more than usual) tested by the AIU,” the 26-year-old posted on Wednesday after the accusation.”I intend to fight this accusation and will have my case decided by a tribunal of three arbitrators before the start of next month’s World Championships,” she added.
Tobi Amusan out of the Worlds?
If she fails to prove her innocence, Tobi Amusan will miss the Budapest Worlds, where she must defend the title she won last year in Eugene. In addition to her gold medal, the Nigerian athlete shone on the American track, setting a new world record in the 100m hurdles with a time of 12s16.
In recent years, a number of Nigerian athletes have been found guilty of doping. On Tuesday July 18, the Nigerian women’s 4x100m relay, which included Tobi Amusan, lost the gold medal it won at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Grace Nwokocha was found guilty of doping by the Commonwealth Games Federation tribunal. She was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit last September for the use of the banned anabolic steroids ostarine and ligandrol, following a sample taken at Birmingham 2022.
