Nigeria’s gold medal in the women’s 4x100m relay at the Commonwealth Games last year was revoked owing to a doping violation, and it was handed to England.
The Nigerian quartet of Tobi Amusan, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Grace Nwokocha created history by capturing the gold medal at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, becoming the country’s first women’s relay team to do so.
The happy occasion, however, was short-lived since Grace Nwokocha later tested positive for illegal anabolic steroids. The finding called into question Nigeria’s performance, which was completed in a time of 42.10 seconds, creating a new African record.
As a result, the Commonwealth Games Federation disqualified the Nigerian team, elevating the English four to gold medalists. The English team of Asha Philip, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, Bianca Williams, and Daryll Neita had finished second in the final but suddenly ascended to the top of the podium.
Following the confirmation of Nwokocha’s positive doping test, which confirmed the presence of two banned anabolic substances in her sample, the decision was reached to disqualify Nigeria and give the gold medal to England. As a result, Nwokocha’s results in the 100m, 200m, and sprint relay have all been thrown out.
The inquiry and potential punishment have been sent to the Athletics Integrity Unit. This occurrence serves as a reminder of the continuous efforts to ensure fairness and integrity in sports, as doping infractions taint athletes’ successes and undermine fair competition standards.
