Commonwealth Games relay champion receives doping ban

Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m gold-medal-winning relay team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on Sunday after testing positive for the banned substances ostarine and ligandrol.

Ostarine is an anabolic steroid that helps users rapidly build muscle, but it is not approved for human use, and it is banned USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency)–this is one of the same drugs British sprinter CJ Ujah tested positive for after the Tokyo Olympics. Ligandrol is used to increase energy, improve athletic performance, and increase muscle growth.

The AIU has provisionally suspended Nigerian runner, Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha, for the Presence/Use of Prohibited Substances (Ostarine & Ligandrol) (Article 2.1 and Article 2.2)

Details here: https://t.co/5W4EeNE4HR pic.twitter.com/TKjUIk7ljn

— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) September 3, 2022

Nwokocha’s coach at North Carolina A&T University, Duane Ross, was previously caught and suspended for two years for attempted use, possession and trafficking of performance-enhancing drugs. His son, Randolph Ross, U.S. 400m Olympian, was sent home from the World Athletics Championships on the day before his race for tampering with the anti-doping process after an unsuccessful testing attempt in June.

Testing positive for a prohibited substance carries a penalty of up to four years. If found guilty, Nwokocha could miss the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Australia 

Nwokocha, 21, helped Nigeria reach the top of the podium by running a stellar anchor leg to beat England. The team of 100m hurdles world record holder Tobi Amusan, Favour Ofili and Rosemary Chukwuma got Nigeria to the top of the podium for the first time since 2014.

The suspension of Nwokocha could lead to England being promoted to gold and Jamaica moving into the silver medal position. Team Australia, who finished fourth, would be moved into bronze.

In February, Nigeria’s 100m and 200m record holder, Blessing Okagbare, was handed an 11-year ban by the AIU for multiple breaches of anti-doping rules and tampering with the anti-doping process. Okagbare served a suspension for the Tokyo Olympics, after failing a drug test only a few days before her event.

At the 2020 Olympics, Nwokocha made the semi-finals in the 100m and 200m. She reached the same stage at this year’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore.