Dylan Bettencourt
Botswana’s Nijel Amos has been provisionally suspended from the World Athletics Championships set to begin this week after testing positive for a banned substance.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) revealed on Tuesday that Amos tested positive for metabolite.
“The AIU has provisionally suspended Nijel Amos of Botswana with immediate effect after an out-of-competition sample collected from the athlete tested positive for metabolites of GW1516,” the AIU said in a statement.
The drug found in the 28-year-old’s body is said to modify how the body metabolises fat.
The AIU are yet to reveal the length of his suspension but it is unlikely that Amos will compete at the World Athletics Championships held in Oregon, starting on 15 July and ending on 24 July.
The World Anti-Doping Agency said the drug poses a severe health risk for athletes.
The 2012 Olympic silver medalist was told the news while in Oregon where he was due to compete in the 800m qualifiers.
Amos’s silver medal in London was the first for Botswana in Olympic history. They claimed the bronze in the 4x400m in Tokyo last year.
Image source: @AthleticsNews
