Deji Aliu, Nigeria’s former Olympic medal winning sprinter, on Friday appealed to Tobi Amusan to brace up for a good performance at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Aliu made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Lagos, urging Amusan to put behind her the suspension saga by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
The panel of the Disciplinary Tribunal, by majority decision, found that Amusan had not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) of three Whereabouts Failures within a 12 months.
With the ruling, Amusan’s provisional suspension has been lifted with immediate effect.
“It’s a welcome development, I’m so glad the decision came before the World’s Championships, so she can compete with other starts.
“The incident will definitely affect her mindset, though I’m still expecting her to go out there and put in a good performance. My happiness is her name that has been cleared.
“I’m wishing Team Nigeria all the best, there’s no greater platform than this as an athlete. Being a part of the team is a win, winning a medal is a win also. I wish them success,” he said.
Aliu won the 100 metres event at the 2003 All-Africa Games, and came fourth at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
NAN reports that Aliu was part of the Nigerian relay team that won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics, together with Innocent Asonze, Francis Obikwelu and Daniel Effiong.
