The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has banned Nigerian sprinter, Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha for three years following her use of prohibited substances.
The anti-doping body made this known on Friday, through its social media handles.
According to the release by AIU, Nwokocha admitted to violating World Athletics (WA) anti-doping rules and also accepted the penalty for the breach.
There was presence or use of Prohibited Substances, Ostarine and Lingadrol, found in her sample A urine collected on the 3rd of August, 2022.
“The AIU, the athlete and the World Anti-Doping Agency (“the Parties”) subsequently entered into a Case Resolution Agreement in accordance with Rule 10.8.2 ADR pursuant to which: the Athlete acknowledges that she has been found to have committed ADRVs under Rule 2.1 and Rule 2.2 of the CGF ADR (and the ADR) by virtue of the CGF Decision, which is final and binding upon her; the Athlete agrees to be sanctioned with a period of Ineligibility of three (3) years,” the statement read.
The ban takes retroactive effect from 3rd August, 2022, to 2nd August, 2025.
The athlete was provisionally suspended in September 2022 after she failed a doping test during last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
Nwokocha was part of the quartet that won gold for Nigeria in the Women’s 4×100 meters race at the 2022 Common Wealth Games.
In July, Nigeria was stripped of the gold medal by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), over Nwokocha’s failed dope test, which also nullified all the results involving her at the competition.
She has now joined the list of Nigerian sprinters who are serving various bans for anti-doping violations.
Blessing Okagbare was banned for eleven years in 2022 after failing an out-of-competition doping test investigation conducted by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Also, another Nigerian, Divine Oduduru was, earlier this month, handed a six-year ban having been identified as an accomplice in Blessing Okagbare’s case.
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