Tobi Amusan, the female hurdles world record holder, revealed on Wednesday that she has been accused of breaking an anti-doping regulation, raising questions about her ability to compete in the global 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.
“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.”
On Sunday, Amusan took part in the Silesia Diamond League competition in Poland, where she set a new meeting record of 12.34sec.
At the Golden Spike athletics meet in the Czech Republic last month, she finished in third place in the women’s 100m hurdles, losing to reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, who claimed victory in 12.42sec.
When asked by reporters about improving her world record pace, she said: “Nothing is impossible and 11 seconds? Most definitely”.
But she was less confident about an ongoing debate on raising hurdles to give priority to technique over speed.
“Don’t do that, don’t raise the hurdles. Please,” said Amusan, who is 5’1 (156 centimetres) tall.