Nigeria’s name has been etched further in the history books albeit on a negative note after the African giants were stripped off the gold medal won in the Women’s Relay during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last year.
Recall that the quartet of Tobi Amusan, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma & Grace Nwokocha finished 42.10s to run a Personal Best and clinch Gold.
However, Nwokocha was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance.
Nwokocha infamously dipped to the line to beat the hosts England on the anchor leg to put her team top of the podium.
The 21-year-old tested positive for ostarine and ligandrol, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Following conclusion of investigations, the England women’s 4x100m relay team is set to be upgraded from silver to gold medallists following confirmation that original winners Nigeria have been disqualified due to an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
Team England’s relay squad featuring Asha Philip, Ashleigh Nelson, Bianca Williams, Daryll Neita, and Imani-Lara Lansiquot crossed the line in 42.41, eclipsing the previous fastest time set in England colours (42.46) at the Commonwealth Games.
This means Team England retain their women’s 4x100m relay title, having won the event four years ago in Gold Coast where Asha Philip and Bianca Williams were also part of that squad.
Biography
Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha (born 7 April 2001) is a Nigerian sprinter, a multiple time national champion over 100 metres. She is currently banned following a doping violation at the 2022 Commonwealth Games which caused her country to be stripped of the gold medal in the 4x100m relay.
Career
In 2021, she posted a new personal best time in the 100m of 11.09 and, in the process, became the first Nigerian athlete to qualify for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[3] She also won the 100m at the National Sports Festival in Benin.
At the Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women’s 100 metres, she ran a new personal best time of 11.00 seconds in her heat to qualify for the semi-finals.
In 2022 she came sixth in the final of the NCAA championship in both the 100 metres and the 200 metres. She entered both the 100m and the 200m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and reached the semi-finals at both events. She also won the Nigerian National Championships over 100 metres.
On 3 September 2022, she was provisionally suspended for the use of banned substances Ostarine and Ligandrol by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
