AIU charges Nigerian hurdler, Tobi Amusan, with doping rule violation; she reacts

Tobi Amusan, Nigeria’s queen of the tracks and Women’s hurdles world record-holder has dismissed a doping rule violation charge levelled on her by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

“I am a clean athlete, and I am regularly; (maybe more than the usual) tested by the AIU,’’ the 26-year-old athletics sensation posted on her Instagram page on Wednesday after the charge.

“I was tested within days of my third `missed test’. I have faith that this will be resolved in my favour and I will be competing at the 2023 World Championships in August,’’ she stated.

The 2023 World Athletics Championship is scheduled to hold in Budapest from Aug. 19 to Aug. 27.

“Today (Wednesday) the AIU charged me with an alleged rule violation for having three missed tests in 12 months.

“I intend to fight this charge and will have my case decided by a tribunal of three arbitrators before the start of next month’s World Championships,’’ she stated.

Tobi set the current world record of 12.12 seconds for Women’s 100m hurdles at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held at the University of Oregon, United States of America.

On Sunday, she set a new meet record at the Silesia Diamond League competition in Poland. It was her second Diamond League victory this season.

Tobi was part of Nigeria’s 4×100 relay squad that won gold at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The quartet was stripped of the medal, however, after anchor runner Grace Nwokocha failed a doping test.

Athletics has a three-strike rule that states that if an athlete does not provide accurate whereabouts information for a doping test he or she may incur a declaration of a missed test, or a filing failure.

Three strikes in a 12-month period is an anti-doping violation.