The Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare is also in the news agency Associated Press according to among the athletes whom Eric Lira is said to have supplied with doping substances. The man is the first person to be charged under the “Rodchenkov Law” for punishing doping in international sports competitions.
The law is named after Grigory Rodchenkov, who as Whistleblower contributed to the discovery of the state-organized doping system in Russia. The former head of the Moscow doping control laboratory revealed Russia’s machinations during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi to cover up positive doping tests from local athletes after his escape. Rodchenkov has lived in the FBI’s witness protection program in the United States ever since.
Okagbare tested positive for growth hormone
The public prosecutor’s office in Manhattan announced that the man is said to have provided growth hormones, among other things. The criminal complaint identifies Okagbare only as “Athlete 1”, but also contains details such as her performance in certain races, which make it clear that she was one of Lira’s customers.
Okagbare tested positive for human growth hormone during a training check on July 19, 2021. The result was announced during the games. She was temporarily suspended – just hours before she was due to run the women’s 100 meters in the semi-finals in Tokyo.