Tobi Amusan, the holder of the women's hurdles world record, said on Wednesday that she has been accused of breaking an anti-doping rule, raising questions about her ability to compete in the world championships later this month.
“Today the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged me with an alleged rule violation for having 3 missed tests in 12 months,” she said in a post on Instagram.
At the 2017 World Athletics Championships, the Nigerian athlete set the current mark for the women's 100-meter hurdles, clocking in at 12.12 seconds.
The 26-year-old Amusan promised to resolve the allegations against her before the tournament, which will take place in Budapest the following month.
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“I intend to fight this charge and will have my case decided by a tribunal of 3 arbitrators before the start of next month’s World Championships,” she said.
“I am a CLEAN ATHLETE, and I am regularly; (maybe more than the usual) tested by the AIU – I was tested within days of my third ‘missed test.’ I have FAITH that this will be resolved in my favour and that I will be competing at the World Championships in August.”
An AFP request for comment was not immediately answered by Amusan's officials.
Amusan competed in the Silesia Diamond League tournament on Sunday and set a new meeting record with a time of 12.34 seconds.
She lost to Puerto Rican Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, the defending Olympic champion, who won the women's 100-meter hurdles event at the Golden Spike sports meet in the Czech Republic last month and placed third.
When asked by reporters about improving her world record pace, she said: “Nothing is impossible and 11 seconds? Most definitely”.
She was less certain, however, about a current argument for raising the bar so that technique would take precedence over speed.
“Don’t do that, don’t raise the hurdles. Please,” said Amusan, who is 5’1 (156 centimetres) tall.
