World Champion Missed Tests, Runs Risk Of Being Suspended For Olympics

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Salwa Eid Naser, one of the breakout stars of the 2019 World Athletics Championships last fall in Doha, Qatar, has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit. 

Naser, who represents Bahrain and moved to that country from Nigeria when she was 14, ran the fastest time by a woman in the 400 meters in 35 years last fall when she clocked 48.18 seconds to win the gold medal. 

She has been sanctioned for not making herself available for testing, called a "whereabouts failure," which is a doping violation in the eyes of the AIU. 

Three violations within a 12-month span can lead to a two-year suspension if an athlete can't explain a valid reason for missing the tests or being unavailable to testers.