Nigerian medal hopeful Blessing Okagbare is out of the ongoing Tokyo Olympics after being provisionally suspended in what is the first doping case in track and field at the games.
The 32-year-old sprinter won her 100m heat on Friday and was due to race in the semifinals on Saturday.
Okagbare returned positive for human growth hormone following an out-of-competition test on July 19, a statement by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said.
The Commonwealth Games gold medalist was notified of her test results and provisional suspension early Saturday.
The statement added the AIU would not be making any further comment at this stage.
Okagbare had eased into the 100m semis with a time of 11.05 seconds in her heat and was set to line up against the likes of Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Elaine Thompson-Herath of Jamaica.
Her suspension is the latest twist in a troubled track and field campaign at the Olympics for Nigeria.
On Thursday, the AIU declared 10 Nigerian athletes were among 18 competitors ineligible for the Tokyo Games for non-compliance with requirements for out-of-competition testing.
Read in full, an AIU press release on Blessing Okagbare:
The AIU has provisionally suspended Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria, with immediate effect after an out-of-competition sample collected from the sprinter tested positive for human Growth Hormone, a prohibited substance on the 2021 WADA Prohibited List.
⬇️https://t.co/qjMyEDfwTY pic.twitter.com/c4opDQdccv— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) July 30, 2021
