Days after coming tops at the Diamond League Silesia, Nigeria’s star hurdler, Tobi Amusan, has been hit with a charge by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
The award winning athlete whom the fans fondly refer to as Tobi Rocket was charged by the regulatory body for missing three tests in the space of one year.
This comes shortly after she had won three different races in a row, with the Diamond leagues in Stockholm and Silesia and the Gyulai Istvan Memorial being her most recent feats.
Reacting to the charge, Tobi said she was innocent and that she was ready to prove it.
She also said that contrary to the allegations of missing doping tests, she had stuck to the testing routine and had probably tested more times than the routine requires.
Posting on her Facebook page, she wrote: “Today the Athletic Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged me with an alleged rule violation for having 3 missed tests in 12 months. 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.
“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 favor and that I will be competing at the World Championships in August.”
Pleading with the media, she wrote, “I ask that the media respect my privacy while I address these allegations in my upcoming arbitration”.
According to the World Athletic Anti-Doping Rules, the AIU frowns upon rules violation and Tobi risks being banned for a minimum of one year — depending on the severity of the claims — if found guilty.
