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Blessing Okagbare: Nigerian sprinter charged with three anti-doping offences

By BBC Africa
Athletics Blessing Okagbare: Nigerian sprinter charged with three anti-doping offences
OCT 7, 2021 LISTEN

Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has been charged with three offences by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

She was suspended during the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for a human growth hormone following an out-of-competition test on 19 July.

The 32-year-old later tested positive for another banned substance, recombinant erythropoietin (EPO), which increases red blood cell count.

She has also been charged for not co-operating with the AIU's investigation.

The AIU alleges Okagbare "failed to comply with a formal requirement to produce relevant documents, records and electronic storage devices" to the investigation.

Okagbare - a rival to Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith - had won her 100m heat in Tokyo before being pulled out of the Games.

Okagbare, Olympic long jump silver medallist in Beijing in 2008, denies all the charges.

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