Coleman suspended over new missed test

Coleman suspended over new missed test• World champion facing ban Reigning 100m champion Christian Coleman was provisionally suspended yesterday over a missed drug test, putting him at risk of a two-year ban that would rule him out of next year's Tokyo Olympics. NAMPA/AFP



American sprinter Christian Coleman is “suspended temporarily from participating in any competition or activity”, said the Athletics Integrity Unit, World Athletics' anti-doping arm.

Coleman, who only narrowly avoided being banned last year after three violations of anti-doping “whereabouts” rules across 2018 and 2019, revealed details of his latest missed test on Twitter.

The world's fastest man, who clocked 9.76 seconds to win 100m gold at last year's World Championships in Doha, said he had unsuccessfully challenged an AIU finding that he missed a test on 9 December 2019.

“And now this might result in me being suspended from other filing failures that occurred well over a year ago at this point,” Coleman said.

Hearing pending

The 24-year-old is now barred from competition pending a hearing under World Athletics anti-doping rules, the AIU website said.

Coleman's impassioned statement on Twitter was accompanied by what appeared to be a copy of his formal notification from the AIU of a missed test.

Coleman escaped suspension on a technicality ahead of last September's World Championships after it emerged he had committed three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period.

Those offences were recorded on 6 June 2018, 16 January 2019 and 26 April 2019.



Successfully argued

However, Coleman had successfully argued that the first missed case should have been backdated to the first day of the quarter, 1 April 2018, meaning the three failures fell just outside the required 12-month period.

But news that Coleman missed another meeting with testers in December means that his offences in January and April of last year now come into play. Under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, any combination of three whereabouts failures, either missing a test or failing to file paperwork on time within a 12-month period, is deemed a doping offence punishable by a two-year suspension.

Two-year suspensions can be reduced to one year if there are mitigating circumstances.

“I think the attempt on 9 December was a purposeful attempt to get me to miss a test,” Coleman said in a statement posted on his official Twitter account.

“Don't tell me I 'missed' a test if you sneak up on my door without my knowledge.”

Coleman said testers had visited when he was out shopping for Christmas presents nearby, verifiable by bank statements and receipts.

He was tested two days later and added: “I've been tested multiple times since, even during quarantine.

“But of course, that doesn't matter, and the fact that I have never taken drugs doesn't matter either.”