Top Nigerian sprinter, Blessing Okagbare, has been banned for 10 years for doping.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced the sanction on Friday.
Earlier this year, a man — Eric Lira, 41, of El Paso linked with Okagbare was charged to court for allegedly providing performance-enhancing drugs to athletes competing in last summer’s Tokyo Olympics.
Growth hormone is a non-specified substance on the 2021 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Okagbare was suspended from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games after testing positive for human growth hormone.
Described as Nigeria’s Queen of Tracks, Okagbare has a long list of accomplishments including at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow where she won long jump silver and 100m bronze.
Apart from being a multi African champion, Okagbare also won the 100m/200m double at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.