- Tobi Amusan has been charged with failing three drug tests
- If the charge is upheld, she will not be able to compete in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest next month
- Amusan denies using performance-enhancing drugs and has vowed to fight the charge
Tobi Amusan, the world record holder in the 100m hurdles, has vowed to clear her name after being charged with failing three drug tests.
If the charge is upheld by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the 26-year-old will not compete in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest next month.
The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist denies using performance-enhancing drugs.
In her defence, Amusan says she intends to fight the charge and will have her case decided by a tribunal of three arbitrators before starting the World Championships in Budapest next month.
I am a clean athlete. I am regularly (maybe more than the usual) tested by the AIU.
I have faith that this will be resolved in my favour and that I will be competing at the World Championships in August, Amusan wrote on Instagram.
At the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July 2022, Amusan set a new world record in the 100m hurdles, crossing the line in 12.12 seconds.
Athletics has a ‘three strikes’ rule, and it is alleged that Amusan failed three doping tests in the span of a year.
According to World Athletics’ anti-doping rules, any athlete who fails to declare their whereabouts for a doping test three times in a 12-month period is barred from competing for two years, subject to a reduction to a minimum of one year depending on the degree of fault.
I intend to fight these charges and my case will be decided by a tribunal of three referees before the start of the World Championships next month, Amusan added.
Amusan won the Diamond League meet in Silesia on Sunday, her second win in the series this season after a victory in Stockholm.
Tobi Amusan has today been charged and provisionally suspended for three Whereabouts Failures.
The charge will be heard by the disciplinary tribunal and determined before the World Athletics Championships, the AIU wrote in a tweet.
The World Athletics Championships will be held in the Hungarian capital from 19-27 August.