Suspended Nigerian sprinter, Grace Nwokocha, faces a four-year ban if she is found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs.
Nwokocha at the moment is under provisional suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for the use of banned substances.
Ostarine and ligandrol, two anabolic agents prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), were found in Nwokocha’s blood sample.
Testing positive for prohibited substances carries a penalty of up to four years, meaning she could miss the Paris 2024 Olympics and the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games if found guilty.
Nwokocha was part of the quartet that won gold in the 4x100m relay at this year’s Commonwealth Games.
She ran the anchor leg in Birmingham last month as Nigeria beat England and Jamaica to take gold in a record-breaking fashion.
“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),” the body tweeted.
The trio of Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma and Tobi Amusan are the other members of the winning quartet who set a new African Record of 42.10s to win what was Nigeria’s 11th gold in Birmingham.
The 21-year-old Nwokocha, a multiple-time national champion in 100 metres, has a Personal Best (PB) in the 100m of 10.97s set at the last World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA. She also ran a PB of 22.44s in the 200m.
A provisional suspension means an athlete is temporarily banned from competition before a final decision is taken at a hearing conducted under WADA rules.