While Nigerians continue to rue the temporary suspension clamped on world record holder, Tobi Amusan, by the World Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after she missed three out-of-competition tests, the
Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has backed Nigerian to come out of the ordeal quicker by proving her innocence.
On Wednesday AIU alleged Amusan to have skipped the compulsory doping test three times in the last one year.
Meanwhile, Samuel Onikelu, the AFN technical director, while speaking on Brila FM, said they were not happy with the situation.
“This is not the news we are happy about, Tobi Amusan is just like the face of Nigeria athletics, she’s the one we are proud of and her achievements.
“Her world championship gold and world record in Oregon last year was a unifying factor in the country. We are with her”, he said.
The athlete has maintained her innocence following the allegation that resulted to her suspension and said she would fight to make sure that the suspension is lifted.
Meanwhile, Nigerian celebrated sprinter, Enefiok Udobong, while in a chat with seasoned sports journalist, Osasu Obayiuwana, explained the test Amusan is alleged to have missed and the consequences.
“There is a system called ADAMS, which every top athlete signs on to… [ADAMS means Anti-Doping Administration & Management System]. In there, you have to fill in, as a top athlete, your whereabout forms – that’s everywhere you will be at a particular time.
“If there is a change of movement, you log in and update your whereabouts.
“[With information from ADAMS], the ITO (International Testing Organisation) can send its agent to test you at anytime. All they do is go to where you say you will be.
“If you are not there, it’s a failed test and they notify you. If you are absent three times in a year, it’s a strike – an anti-doping violation.”
Only on Tuesday in Budapest, Amusan won the last Gold Race in the build-up to the World Athletics Championships, which also holds in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
Her time of 12.34secs was however .01 seconds slower than the 12.34 Seconds she returned in another meeting in Poland, 48 hours earlier.
But both performances and her winning time of 12.47secs in Stockholm, Sweden; were seen as a welcome progression. But when compared with the 12.70secs, with which she won the Nigeria National trials in Benin City, skeptics opined that it was down to the adverse wet conditions on that day.
Having been twice beaten by one of most visible rivals, Jasmine Camacho-Quine of Puerto Rico in Lausanne Switzerland, and in Ostrava, the Czech Republic; there were growing concerns of her state of mind and fitness, ahead of the defence of her world title, in just about a month’s time.
