LAGOS – A former All African Games female 100m Champion, Tina Iheagwam, on Wednesday said that the incessant occurrence of doping in the life of an athlete in major competitions was not a surprise.
Iheagwam made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos against the backdrop of Nigeria’s weight lifter, Chika Amalaha, currently caught in a doping controversy.
She said that doping was common among athletes especially during training but added that some took it as medication not knowing the implications. [eap_ad_1] “But they should know that when they go out for competition they shouldn’t be using all those things because at a stage I believe they have worked hard enough to be strong.
“So it is a sad story but what can we do; and just unfortunate; Nigeria is not the only one that is using that hard drug.
“Other countries do but at least the person they caught is just unfortunate; am really sorry for that girl.’’
Amalaha, who had won a gold medal in the 53kg category at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Scotland, was found to have taken a banned substance after a test.
The 16-year-old weight lifter has been provisionally suspended pending the results of a `B’ sample after traces of diuretics and masking agents were found in her sample an in-competition test. (NAN)[eap_ad_4]
