One of Team Nigeria’s medallists at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in August, Grace Nwokocha, has been suspended on the suspicion of using performance enhancing drugs.
The sprinter was one of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m quartet that won gold at the Commonwealth Games, but that medal is now likely to be taken away, along with the African record the team set.
She ran alongside Tobi Amusan, Favour Ofili and Rosemary Chukwuma to give Nigeria the gold and a new African record of 42.10 seconds on the final night of track and field competition in Birmingham.
The Athletes Integrity Unity of World Athletics announced Nwokocha’s suspension last night.
“The AIU has provisionally suspended Nigerian runner, Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha, for the Presence/Use of Prohibited Substances (Ostarine & Ligandrol) (Article 2.1 and Article 2.2),” it stated on its official website.
The AIU describes a provisional suspension as “when an Athlete or other Person is suspended temporarily from participating in any competition or activity in Athletics prior to a final decision at a hearing conducted under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules or the Integrity Code of Conduct.
“In doping cases, a Provisional Suspension is mandatory under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules following an adverse analytical finding for any non-specified substance on the Prohibited List.
“A Provisional Suspension may be imposed in other doping cases depending on the nature and circumstances of the case in question.”
Nwokocha, 21, reached the 100m semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics last year and the final of the NCAA Championship in the United States of America in both the 100m and 200m this year.
