World 100m champion suspended for missing drug tests

Christian Coleman, the reigning world champion in the 100m dash, was suspended on June 17 by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for missing drug tests. The AIU updated its list of athletes on provisional suspension to include Coleman, hours after the American sprinter revealed details of the case. He is temporarily banned from competition until a nal decision at a hearing conducted under the World Athletics AntiDoping Rules or the Integrity Code of Conduct. Coleman said earlier on Twitter that drug testers were unable to nd him on December 9 while he was at a nearby mall for Christmas shopping. That was his third infraction in a 12month period. Athletes are required to list their whereabouts for an hour each day when they must be available to be tested. A violation means an athlete either did not ll out forms, telling authorities where they could be found, or that they weren’t where they said they would be when testers arrived. Coleman is a favourite for Olympic gold in the 100m dash heading into the Tokyo Games that has been postponed to next summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. He said in his post, he’s appealing the latest missed test for six months with the AIU, which runs the antidoping programme for World Athletics. Coleman won the 100m at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, last September after the US Antidoping Agency dropped his case for missed tests because of a technicality.