Tobi Amusan, a world-record holder in the hurdles, claims she has been accused of violating anti-doping rules after failing three drug tests in a 12-month period.
The Nigerian said she will contest the claims in a statement on her Instagram account on Tuesday.
“I am a CLEAN athlete, and I am regularly (maybe more than usual) tested by the AIU,” she wrote, in referencing the Athletics Integrity Unit, which oversees doping issues in international track and is the agency that charged her with the violation.
In the semifinals of the 100-meter hurdles at the world championships in Oregon last year, Amusan shocked the fans by breaking the world record with a timing of 12.12 seconds.
She returned almost 90 minutes later to win the gold medal in 12.06, but the excessive tailwind prevented that time from being recorded.
“When I watched the record, I was like ‘Whoa, who did that?'” Amusan said of her reaction upon seeing her time pop up on the scoreboard.
Amusan attended Texas El-Paso University and trained alongside Blessing Okagbare, a Nigerian UTEP alum. A federal investigation into an El Paso doctor who pled guilty to trafficking human growth hormone and other prohibited medicines led to Okagbare’s 11-year suspension for multiple doping offences.
A two-year suspension is possible after three failed doping tests, while there are some exceptions that can be made in certain situations.
Amusan asserted that she underwent testing “within days” of her third missed violation and that she was confident the situation would be handled in time for her to participate in the global championships later this month.
