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The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said Sunday that they were investigating World Athletics Championships 400-metre gold medallist Salwa Eid Naser before her Doha win due to three missed drug tests.
She missed a fourth by January 2020.
The Nigerian, who competes for Bahrain had told the press that it is normal to miss three tests.
“I’ve never been a cheat. I will never be,” said the 22-year-old Bahraini in an Instagram live video. “I only missed three drug tests, which is normal. It happens. It can happen to anybody. I don’t want people to get confused in all this because I would never cheat.”
Her performance in Doha was a surprise and the third-fastest all time and the fastest since 1985. The two athletes still ahead of her are East German Marita Koch, in 1985, and the Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova, in 1983, both are considered highly suspicious.
“It happens. It can happen to anybody. I don’t want people to get confused in all this because I would never cheat.”
It’s not normal.
She may be stripped of her medal and given a two-year suspension.
If so, Bahamian Shuanae Miller-Uibo may move up from silver (48.37), Shericka Jackson from Jamaica the bronze medallist would then move up to silver and fourth-place finisher Wadeline Jonathas from the USA at 49.60 could move into bronze.
Seven other foreign runners competing for Bahrain have been suspended for testing positive for EPO (4), Stanazolol (1), Norandrosterone (1) and whereabouts failures (1). Four are Kenyan and one each is from Nigeria, Brunei and Ethiopia.
