Nigerian sprinter Okagbare has her ban extended to 11 years

Sprinter Blessing Okagbare has been given an additional one-year ban for doping violations on top of her existing 10-year suspension, a decision that rules Nigeria out of the sprint relay at the world championships.
The Athletics Integrity Unit charged the 33-year-old with “evading sample collection, and tampering or attempted tampering with the doping control process”.
In February, Okagbare was given her original ban for “multiple breaches of anti-doping rules”.
She was suspended during last year’s Tokyo Olympics after failing a drug test.
Six days after she had evaded sample collection on June 13, 2021, she competed in the relay event at Nigeria’s Olympic trials, helping her team to qualify for the world championships.
Those results have now been disqualified due to Okagbare’s involvement and Nigeria has therefore lost its potential qualification place in the women’s 4x100m relay at the world championships in Oregon in July.
“Over the years, we have repeatedly seen how one person’s actions adversely affect teammates who have trained hard and worked honestly for their results,” AIU head Brett Clothier said in a statement.
“In this instance, Nigeria has lost an important qualification spot. Those are the rules and we will not compromise on integrity.”
Okagbare, the 2008 Olympic long jump silver medallist, won her 100m heat in Tokyo last year, but she was thrown out of the Games after the AIU said she had tested positive for a human growth hormone following an out-of-competition test.
As a result of the case, Texas therapist Eric Lira, who supplied performance-enhancing drugs to Okagbare, became the first person charged under a new US anti-doping law.
The case is the first time charges have been brought under the Rodchenkov Act – a law introduced in the US in 2020 in the wake of Russia’s state-backed doping scandal.

Jackson completes 100-200 double at Jamaica trials
Shericka Jackson delivered on her promise to produce something special in the women’s 200m with a world-leading 21.55 seconds (0.0m/s) on the final day of the Jamaican National Athletics Championships.
Jamaican track stars produced the third-fastest event ever at the world team trials in the national stadium at Kingston, with Jackson completing the 100-200 sprint double impressively.
After Friday’s 100m victory, Jackson surprised herself with a 200m performance that trails only US legend Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 34-year-old world record 21.34 seconds and the Jamaican record 21.53 by Elaine Thompson-Herah at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
“Honestly, I am shocked by the time,” Jackson said. “I never expected to go that fast. I knew that I had something special in my legs but but to run that fast. I’m just grateful.”
Jackson surpassed her previous best of 21.81 from last year this year’s prior world best of 21.77 set earlier on the final by American Abby Steiner to win the US crown. Jackson, 28, has also won a national senior crown at 400m.
Olympic champion Thompson-Herah was second in 22.05 with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce third in 22.14.
American-born Andrew Hudson won the men’s 200m in 20.10secs (0.5m/s), beating 100m champion Yohan Blake’s 20.31 with Nigel Ellis third in 20.41.
Tokyo Olympic champion Hansle Parchment won the 110m hurdles final in 13.14 secs (1.0m/s), taking charge late in the race after former World and Olympic champion Omar McLeod got off to a flying start.
Rasheed Broadbell was second in a season-best 13.20 with Orlando Bennett third in 13.28.
McLeod, who hit the third hurdle, finished eighth.
Britany Anderson, eighth in the Tokyo Olympics, won the 100m hurdles, coming from behind over the last three hurdles to win in 12.53(0.6m/s).