Nigerian Blessing Okagbare, already suspended during the Tokyo Olympics for a positive doping test for growth hormone, is the subject of two new charges by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) following positive control for EPO and for her refusal to cooperate with the investigation.
On July 19, Blessing Okagbare provided, out of competition, in Slovakia, a sample that was to prove positive for growth hormone. Warned ten days later, on July 30, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) temporarily suspended the Nigerian sprinter the next day, as she was preparing to compete in the 100m semi-finals at the Olympics in Tokyo.
On Thursday, the IAU reported that Okagbare was also under investigation after testing positive for EPO in Nigeria on June 20 in an out-of-competition test. The AIU got the result on August 12, the sprinter was notified on August 20.
Okagbare, who has denied since the start of the case having used banned products, had, according to the IAU, not provided any documents requested by the international body by the September 15 deadline. Therefore, the organ also accuses her of refusal to cooperate.
Blessing Okagbare, 32, long-distance silver medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was an outsider at the Olympics, after having achieved a time of 10”63 over 100m (+2.7 m / s) during the national championships, in June. The Nigerian is the ninth-best performer of the season on the straight line (10”89 in regular wind conditions).
In its statement, the IAU said the athlete denies all the charges against Okagbare and requested that each of them be submitted to a hearing before going to the disciplinary tribunal.
This article was originally published on Naija News
