Nigerian Blessing Okagbare is out of the women’s 100 metre competition at Tokyo 2020 after being provisionally suspended for a failed drugs test.
Okagbare came through Friday’s heats in a time of 11.05 seconds and was due to go up against Dina Asher-Smith and Elaine Thompson-Herah in the semi-finals on Saturday.
However, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) informed Okagbare she had tested positive for a human growth hormone following an out-of-competition test on July 19.
The AIU added that a provisional suspension is mandatory for an adverse analytical finding for such a substance under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.
It said no further comment would be made at this stage.
Okagbare was competing in her fourth Games and won a silver medal in the long jump at Beijing in 2008.
She was a strong medal hope and her provisional suspension follows the news 10 Nigerian athletes were declared ineligible for Tokyo 2020 due to non-compliance with out-of-competition drug testing requirements in the run-up to the Games.
Ominisport