16-year-old Nigerian weightlifter fails drug test
Published on: Thursday, July 31, 2014
GLASGOW: A 16-year-old Nigerian weightlifter failed a doping test after becoming the youngest ever female to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the sport, organisers said Tuesday.Chika Amalaha has been provisionally suspended from the Glasgow Games after testing positive for diuretics and masking agents after winning the 53-kilogram (117-pound) division last Friday.Amalaha's "A" sample contained amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide, which are both banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Amalaha asked for the backup "B" sample to be tested, which will happen in London on Wednesday.
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Amalaha would be stripped of the gold medal if the second sample also comes back positive.Wada is set to investigate how someone so young had access to banned substances."I am rather saddened and disappointed this has happened to a 16-year-old," Wada President Craig Reedie told The Associated Press. "We will need to see if the 'B' sample matches the 'A.'
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Then if it does the girl will be removed from the games and it will be up to the international weightlifting federation to apply a sanction and then she would lose her medal."Wada will look at the circumstances surrounding this case once we know the full facts."
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The test was part of an anti-doping program at the games targeting specific sports based largely on intelligence, rather than testing every medal winner."It shows we have a very robust anti-doping program in place," Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper said. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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