AIU appeals Amusan’s doping violation clearance

The Athletics Integrity Unit says it has begun the process of challenging the decision to clear Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan of doping violations after the body charged her with three whereabouts failures in July, before she was cleared by a panel in August.

Amusan, who just won her third consecutive women’s 100m hurdles Diamond League title in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday will now have to go through a fresh legal battle at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Amusan became the second woman in the 100m hurdles history after Dawn Nelson-Harper to win a hat-trick of 100m hurdles titles when she raced to a season’s best of 12.33secs with Puerto Rico’s Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn Camacho-Quinn finishing second in 12.38secs while American Keni Harrison placed third in 12.44 secs.

Her victory came after a disappointing outing at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary where she placed sixth in the wake of her temporary suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit for missing three whereabouts tests.

“The AIU filed an appeal last Friday (September 15, 2023) with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision, dated 17 August 2023, that Tobi Amusan did not commit an anti-doping rule violation for Whereabouts Failures,” AIU said in a statement on Monday.

“The AIU will make no further comment on the matter until the conclusion of the appeal,” the body added.

Amusan was first provisionally suspended by the AIU in July over three whereabouts failures but the Disciplinary Tribunal ruled in favour of the world record holder two days before the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last month.

She was however unable to defend her world title in Budapest, placing 7th in the final which was won by Jamaica’s Danielle Williams.

Amusan put her World Championships woes behind her on Sunday, storming to a season’s best of 12.32s to win her third Diamond League title in Eugene.