Nigeria’s Okagbare fails drugs test, suspended from Olympics

Sprinter provisionally suspended hours before she was due to run in the semi-finals of the women’s 100 metres.

Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has been provisionally suspended for doping just hours before the former World Championships silver medallist was due to run in Saturday’s semi-finals of the women’s 100 metres at the Olympics. Okagbare tested positive for human growth hormone in an out-of-competition test on July 19, four days before the Olympics opened, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said, prompting a mandatory provisional suspension. The results of that test were received by the track and field’s anti-doping body only late on Friday and after Okagbare had already run in the 100 metres heats on the opening day of track competition at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, the AIU said.