Nigerian sprinter, Grace Nwokocha has received a three-year doping ban, according to the announcement by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on Friday.

Nwokocha, who had previously won gold in the 4x100m relay at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, tested positive for Ostarine and Ligandrol, two anabolic agents, in a sample collected on August 3, 2022.

The AIU disclosed that Nwokocha admitted to the doping violation and accepted the three-year ban.

This penalty includes the disqualification of her results from August 2022 to September 2022, which also resulted in her forfeiture of the gold medal she earned at the Commonwealth Games.

In a statement issued by the AIU, it was noted that the athlete, the AIU, and the World Anti-Doping Agency reached a Case Resolution Agreement, resulting in the athlete acknowledging her anti-doping rule violations and accepting the three-year ineligibility period, starting from the date of the sample collection on August 3, 2022.

This is the latest case in a series of doping scandals involving Nigerian athletes.

In 2021, Blessing Okagbare was banned for ten years after testing positive for multiple performance-enhancing drugs, and Divine Oduduru received a six-year ban for doping violations.

Nwokocha’s suspension is a significant setback for Nigerian Athletics, as she was considered one of the country’s promising athletes expected to lead the next generation.