BREAKING: Blessing Okagbare gets 10-year ban for doping

Popular 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.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan said Lira distributed the drugs, including human growth hormone and erythropoietin, a blood-building hormone, “for the purpose of corrupting” the 2020 Games.

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.