Sprinter Grace Nwokocha, who won gold in the 4x100m relay at this year’s Commonwealth Games, has been provisionally suspended for the use of banned substances, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Saturday.
The 21-year-old ran the anchor leg in Birmingham last month as Nigeria beat England and Jamaica to take gold.
“The AIU has provisionally suspended Nigerian runner, Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha, for the Presence/Use of Prohibited Substances (Ostarine and Ligandrol),” the body said in a statement
Ostarine and Ligandrol are both anabolic agents prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
A provisional suspension means an athlete is temporarily banned from competition before a final decision is taken at a hearing conducted under WADA rules.
A board official in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) had earlier told Premium Times of the development pleading anonymity for not being authorised to speak on the matter.
“Just when we thought we were making some headway, this has really brought us back,” the official said.
The AFN is yet to make an official statement on it.
Nwokocha qualified for last year’s Tokyo Olympics and also entered the 100m and 200m at the world championships in Eugene this year, reaching the semi-finals in both events.
The development is seen as a setback for athletics in Nigeria following the federation’s efforts in anti-doping since the disastrous outing at the Olympics.
Former track and field star Blessing Okagbare was suspended after failing a drug test at the Olympics.
