Athletics Integrity Unit confirms Nwokocha three-year ban
Nigerian sprinter Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha has been banned for three years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for the presence and use of two prohibited substances – ostarine and ligandrol.
The positive drugs test related to a sample taken during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, when Nwokocha ran the anchor leg during the women’s 4×100 metres relay.
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Nigeria crossed the line first in the race but after Nwokocha’s positive drugs test the team were stripped of the gold medals, with hosts England promoted into top spot.
At a hearing before the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Court in May, Nwokocha claimed the positive test had been caused by cross-contamination, claiming that an unnamed team-mate had drunken from her bottle of Lucozade during training at the Athletes Village.
This defence was rejected with the CGF Court finding her guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, and disqualifying her individual and team results at Birmingham 2022.
In July, Nwokocha agreed to enter a case resolution agreement with the AIU and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
In the agreement Nwokocha acknowledged she had committed anti-doping rule violations and agreed to a three-year suspension.
The start of her ban has been backdated to August 3 2022, the date the positive sample was collected, and will run through to August 2 2025.
Following the decision against Nwokocha, her team-mates in the women’s 4×100 metres relay final Joy Udo-Gabriel, Favour Ofili and Rosemary Chukwuma have also forfeited their medals from the race.
Nwokocha competed in the women’s 100 metres at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she reached the semi-finals.
She is also a multiple national champion, winning the 200m in 2021, and the 100m and 4x100m relay in 2022.