Athletics
WORLD 100M CHAMPION COLEMAN BANNED FOR TWO YEARS!
World champion sprinter Christian Coleman has been banned for two years for anti-doping offences, ruling him out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The American missed tests on January 16 and December 9 of last year, and was also charged with a filing error in connection with an attempted test on April 26.
Missing three tests in a12-month period results in an anti-doping rule violation and a two-year suspension if it is the athlete’s first offence.
Coleman accepted the first missed test but challenged the other two rulings, however the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Disciplinary Tribunal did not find in his favour.
As a result, the world 100 meters champion has been banned for two years and is ineligible to race until 13 May 2022.
The 24-year-old, who also won 4x100m relay gold with the United States team at the 219 World Athletics Championships, would have been the favourite to be crowned the world’s fastest man at next year’s Olympics.
Instead he will miss Tokyo 2020 in another blow for the sport.
The filing failure related to Coleman being in Iowa for the Drake Relays when he was contacted several hours before the 60-minute window for the day by a doping control officer (DCO), when he had said on the whereabouts system he would be in Kentucky.
Coleman asked if he could be tested in Iowa, which he could not, and then attempted to change his whereabouts information to Iowa after the conversation.
It was argued on Coleman’s behalf that there was no filing failure as his whereabouts information was updated before the allocated 60-minute period, but the AIU Disciplinary Tribunal rejected this defence, emphasising that details should be updated “as soon as possible after the circumstances change, and in any event prior to the 60-minute time slot”.
As Coleman had flown to Iowa two days before, the details had not been updated “as soon as possible”, and it was also found that the updated whereabouts information related to a time which had already passed.
For the December missed test, Coleman was out Christmas shopping at the time when he had said he would be available for sample collection at his Lexington home.
Coleman argued that he returned home inside the 60-minute window, which lasted from 7:15pm to 8:15pm, and that the DCOs must have left early.
The DCOs testified this was not the case, providing a photo taken at 8:21pm, while shopping receipts also cast doubt on Coleman’s claim.
A Walmart receipt showed he had purchased 16 items at 8:22pm.
Coleman claimed he returned home, watched the start of a National Football League game – which kicked off at 8:15pm – and must have then left his home again.
The Disciplinary Tribunal deemed it was “obvious” that the sprinter in fact did not come home until after that Walmart trip, given other shopping receipts were time-stamped at 7:13pm and 7:53pm.
In rendering a two-year ban, the Disciplinary Tribunal described Coleman’s behaviour as “very careless at best and reckless at worst” and viewed there to be no mitigating factors which could have reduced the ban.
The decision could yet be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Coleman previously escaped punishment after missing tests on June 6 2018 and January 16 and April 26 of 2019, successfully arguing that the 2018 case, a filing error, should be pushed back to the first day of the quarter, April 1, and subsequently out of the year-long window.
That allowed him to compete at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, where he won two gold medals.
Coleman won two silver medals at the 2017 World Championships, also in the 100m and 4x100m relay.
He did compete at Rio 2016, but only in the relay heats and was a spectator when the United States were disqualified in the final.
.-insidethegames
BY DAPO SOTUMINU
Nigeria’s Francis James and Blessing Shambaz yesterday emerged winners of the 2nd Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Race to go home with the winners prize money of $1,000 in a race that was officially flagged off by the First vice president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Chief Solomon Ogba, and supported by Mr. Nadin Khan, the president of the World Ultra Running.
James won the men’s race finishing at 30minutes 11seconds to beat all opponents to consolidate on his victory in Abuja when he finished second best in the half marathon held in the Federal Capital Territory middle of the year.
James also emerged the Nigeria’s winner of the World class half marathon.
It will be recalled that James at his last major race in Abuja finished second place in a national half marathon race. He stressed that he used that race to prepare for the Lotus Bank Abeokuta Race and he was very happy winning the race.
He stressed that, the victory at Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10m Race has given him the confidence to do better in others races coming up in Nigeria and its an indication, that he’s very close to making history for Nigeria in subsequent marathon races. He added that, Nigerian runners will pull surprise in the others races not minding the attendance of the East Africans.
In second place for the men’s race is Gyang Raymond at a time of 30 minutes 14 seconds. Gyang got $750 for his effort. While the third place winner is Gyang David Boyi at 30 minutes 54 seconds. Boyi got a cash prize of $500.
In the women 10km race, the runners up that placed second was Daylop Patience at a time of 36minutes 98.28seconds to keep her position in last year’s edition. She got $750.
Third place winner is Agofure Charity at 37minutes 88 seconds.She got $500.
The overall 10km also saw the race by special athletes.
The route of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta Race wore a very active look this morning with the active presence of Febbs table water, a part sponsor of the event.
The volunteers on each points on the route all had Febbs Water on their hands ready to hand them over the runners. The organisers decorated all the runners that crossed the finish line with gold medals, this added to the fanfare and celebrations at the Alake Palace finish line of the race.
The Diamond League will increase its prize money to more than $9 million in 2025, the highest in the history of the series, the organisers have said.
Athletes will make a total of $18 million, with top athletes also receiving promotional fees. Male and female athletes will be paid at the same rate, the Diamond League said in a statement.
“The new total is almost a third higher than the sum paid during the pandemic-affected period of 2021-2024,” the statement said, adding that more will be invested in the athletes’ travel, transport, accommodation, medical and physio services.
Each of the 14 Diamond League meets of the 2025 regular season, scheduled to kick off in April, will award a total prize money of $500,000, with the final in August offering $2.24 million.
“The total prize money per discipline will be between $30,000 and $50,000 at the series meetings and between $60,000 and $100,000 at the final,” the statement added.
The Diamond League’s 2024 season concluded in Brussels last week, with Zurich set to host the 2025 final.
The news comes after World Athletics ended a 128-year tradition by paying Olympic champions at the Paris Games $50,000 each and as rival track events try to muscle in on the circuit long seen as the standard-bearer for professional athletics.
Retired American sprinting great Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track will offer prize money ranging from $100,000 for the winner to $10,000 for the eighth-place finisher at each of four “slams” when the league launches next year.
It will distribute a total of $12.6 million in prize money in 2025.
“In a league of our own,” Grand Slam Track wrote in a post on X, opens new tab on Wednesday, with a breakdown of their prize money.
-Reuters
A record 6,000 runners, local and international from across the African continent and Nigeria have registered for the second edition of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run slated for September 28, 2024, as the organisers, Nilayo Sports Management Limited guns for a bronze label status for the race.
The Chief Operating Officer of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, Ebidowie Oweifie, noted that the theme of this year’s edition of the Abeokuta 10km Race titled ‘For Greatness’ out is out to commemorate the birthday anniversary of the Egba paramount ruler, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo 111, the 10km Run will flag off at Iyana Oloke at 6am and finish at The Alake Palace, Abeokuta.
Kenya’s Peter Nwaniki is the men’s race defending champion at a time of 28 minutes 14 seconds, while Shamila Kipsirir also of Kenya is the women’s defending champion.
Nigeria’s race men’s defending champion is Francis James at 31minutes 08seconds, while the women’s defending champion is Patience Daylop at 36 minutes 31 seconds.
The second edition of Abeokuta10km Race will be sponsored by Lotus Bank, FEBBS Premium Water, Fatgbems Petroleum Limited and Cash Token.
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