World 400 metre champion, Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, could face a ban of up to two years for missing three doping tests in 12 months. She ran the third-fastest 400 metres in history when winning gold at 2019’s world championships in Doha.
Naser has been provisionally suspended for whereabouts violations.
At the world championships in Doha in 2019, the Nigerian-born athlete ran the fastest time by a woman since 1985. She bagged gold in an impressive 48.14 seconds and ended Olympic champion, Shauné Miller-Uibo’s 25-month winning streak.
But the Athletics Integrity Unit has now confirmed that Naser has been provisionally suspended for not making herself available for doping tests. World Athletics’ anti-doping rules require athletes to give regular updates on their whereabouts to allow authorities to carry out testing outside of competition.
Three violations within 12 months can lead to a suspension if the athlete can’t justify why they weren’t available for testing.
If her case isn’t proven, she could miss 2021’s Olympic Games in Tokyo in Japan.
Salwa Eid Naser now provisionally suspended for whereabouts failures by the IAAF.
I raised her dubious coaching associations after she ran 48.14 in the 400m at the worlds.
More relevant now ⬇️. You’re not a sore loser if you are suspicious of “unbelievable” performances. https://t.co/7VIuOK1a9G
— Edmund Willison (@honestsport_ew) June 5, 2020
