Stephen Dunmoye
The world record holder in the 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan who was charged by Athletic Integrity Unit, AIU, for anti-doping violation, has cleared the air that she is a clean athlete.
NEWSTODAYNG gathered that Amusan was charged by the AIU with three missing doping tests in a 12 month span, which can lead to a two-year suspension even if an athlete never fails a drug test.
However, the 26-year-old expressed her intention to fight the charge by the AIU, stating she is a clean athlete.
In her words, “Today the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged me with an alleged rule violation for having 3 missed tests in 12 months. I intend to fight this charge and will have my case decided by a tribunal of 3 arbitrators before the start of next month’s World Championships.
“I am a CLEAN ATHLETE, and I am regularly; (maybe more than the usual) tested by the AlU -I was tested within days of my third “missed test.
“I have FAITH that this will be resolved in my favor and that I will be competing at the World Championships in August.
“In the meantime, I ask that the media respect my privacy while I address these allegations in my upcoming arbitration.”
Under World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules, the applicable sanction for three ‘whereabouts’ failures is two years’ ineligibility, subject to reduction to a minimum of one year depending on an athlete’s degree of fault.
Athletics has a three-strikes rule that states if an athlete does not provide accurate whereabouts information for a doping test, they may incur a declaration of a missed test, or a filing failure. Three strikes in a 12-month period is an anti-doping violation.
Amusan won the Silesia Diamond League meet on Sunday, her second Diamond League victory this season.
She became the first Nigerian world champion and world record holder in an athletics event with her 2022 victory in Eugene, Ore, where she set the world record of 12.12 seconds.
Amusan was part of Nigeria’s 4×100 relay squad that won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games but were then stripped of their medal after anchor runner Grace Nwokocha failed a doping test.
The World Athletics Championships run from August 19-27 in Budapest.
