Dylan Bettencourt
Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has had her 10-year ban extended by a further year for an additional doping violation.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) charged her with “evading sample collection, and tampering or attempted tampering with the doping control process”.
The 33-year-old was handed a decade-long ban in February for “multiple breaches of anti-doping rules”.
Okagbare did not compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo due to a failed drug test and consequently, Nigeria lost its chance of competing in the 4x100m relay at the World Championships in Oregon last July.
Okagbare competed six days after she missed a sample collection, helping Nigeria qualify for the event in the United States, but following her ban, all results involving the races she was involved in were disqualified.
“Over the years, we have repeatedly seen how one person’s actions adversely affect teammates who have trained hard and worked honestly for their results,” AIU head Brett Clothier said in a statement.
“In this instance, Nigeria has lost an important qualification spot. Those are the rules and we will not compromise on integrity.”
Okagbare went into the Tokyo Olympics as a medal contender after winning her heat in
11.05 seconds but she was disqualified before the final.
Okagbare, who won silver in the long jump at the 2008 Olympics, was ruled out of the semi-finals in Tokyo after the AIU indicated that she had tested positive for a human growth hormone.
Image source: @VanguardNews
