Asaba 2018 okagbare pulls out of 100m 200m

A memorable moment in Nigerian sports history!

On August 5, 2018, Blessing Okagbare, a Nigerian sprinter, withdrew from the 100m and 200m events at the 2018 Asaba African Championships in Asaba, Nigeria.

Okagbare, who was the defending champion in both events, was expected to dominate the competitions. However, she failed a doping test conducted by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on May 25, 2018, at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha, Qatar.

The test revealed the presence of a banned substance, haemoglobin, which is a blood booster. As a result, Okagbare was provisionally suspended by the IAAF, and her results from May 15, 2018, onwards were disqualified.

Okagbare's withdrawal from the Asaba African Championships was a significant blow to Nigerian athletics, as she was one of the country's top athletes and a major medal hope. Her absence also raised concerns about the prevalence of doping in Nigerian sports.

The incident led to a thorough investigation by the Nigerian government and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), which resulted in Okagbare being banned from competition for four years by the IAAF in 2019.