• Athletics Integrity Unit suspends Nwokocha over doping scandal
Contrary to earlier media reports, Olympics, World long jump medalist and Commonwealth Games champion, Ese Brume, may not appear in the final of the prestigious Diamond league tomorrow in Zurich, Switzerland.
On September 2, 2022, Brume had a brilliant night in the Diamond league, winning at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium. She leapt a distance of 6.83m in her third attempt to win.
Before then, there were media reports that the African record holder (7.17meters) is one of the eight athletes confirmed to compete in the Diamond league final in Zurich between September 7 and 8 to get the chance to make history as the first Nigerian field athlete to win a Diamond League title.
However, Nigerians track and field lovers may not see Brume in action tomorrow.
“I am not sure of competing in Zurich yet,” Brume said in her message to The Guardian at the weekend.
Brume, who has won medals at all major athletics championships, added: “Presently, I am ranked number seven and they are taking just six athletes for jumps. Unless someone drops out, I may not be in Zurich.”
According to earlier reports, Brume qualified for the final in Zurich after garnering nine points from one second place finish (seven points) in Eugene, U.S. and seventh place finish (two points) in Stockholm, Sweden to finish seventh in the ranking.
The winner in Zurich tomorrow will not be decided based on points accumulated over the course of the season, but by who wins on the day, which would have given Brume the chance to make history.
As at yesterday afternoon, Brume was still waiting for her agent to know if there were last minute changes that would enable her compete in the Diamond league final.
If she gets such last minute opportunity to compete and wins, Brume will be the second Nigerian athlete to do so after sprint hurdler Tobi Amusan, who won the high hurdles title last year at the same venue.
Amusan, who was absent in Brussels on September 2, will be in final in Zurich tomorrow to defend her historic title.
MEANWHILE, Nigeria’s 2022 Commonwealth Games Gold medal winner, Grace Nwokocha, has been handed a provisional suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for doping.
Nwokocha, who ran Nigeria’s anchor leg in the 4×100 winning women’s relay, is included on the list of athletes placed on provisional suspension for various doping offences displayed on the website of the Athletics governing body at the weekend.
It stated that Ostarine and Lingadrol were found in Nwokocha’s sample A urine collected on August 3, 2022, at the Commonwealth Games and she will now be under provisional suspension pending the conclusion of investigations.
Nwokocha will now be excluded from any other competition until a final decision is taken by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has been notified of the development by the World Anti-doping agency as the confirmation of the B sample is still being awaited. As a rule, the team would be stripped of the medal and the performance, if Nwokocha is not exonerated.
