Nigeria’s long-distance runner Blessing Solomon has been handed a three-year ban after testing positive for a prohibited substance at the Abuja Premium Trust Half Marathon, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has announced.
In a decision issued from its headquarters in Monaco, the AIU confirmed that the 28-year-old committed Anti-Doping Rule Violations following the detection of Trimetazidine in a urine sample collected during the race on 6 December 2025.
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According to the ruling, Ms Solomon “provided a urine Sample In-Competition at the Abuja Premium Trust Half Marathon held in Abuja, Nigeria,” which was coded 1701980. The sample was analysed by a laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
On 20 January, the laboratory reported an Adverse Analytical Finding “based on the presence of Trimetazidine.”
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The AIU said it reviewed the finding in line with the International Standard for Results Management and determined that the athlete “did not have a Therapeutic Use Exemption (‘TUE’) that had been granted (or that would be granted) for the Trimetazidine found in the Sample.” It also found “no apparent departure” from testing or laboratory standards that could reasonably have caused the positive result.
Ms Solomon was notified of the charge on 5 February and provisionally suspended the same day. The AIU stated that she was informed that the finding could amount to violations under Rule 2.1 (Presence of a Prohibited Substance) and Rule 2.2 (Use or Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance) of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.
Responding within the stipulated window, Ms Solomon chose not to contest the result. On 11 February, she wrote to the AIU that she “would not challenge the Adverse Analytical Finding but did not know how Trimetazidine entered her body as she had never knowingly used any prohibited substance to enhance her performance.” She also returned a signed Admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violations and Acceptance of Consequences Form.
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What the rule says
Under the rules, Trimetazidine is classified on the 2025 WADA Prohibited List as a metabolic modulator under category S4 (Hormone and Metabolic Modulators). It is a non-specified substance prohibited at all times, in and out of competition.
Because the substance is non-specified, the standard sanction for a first violation is four years unless the athlete can establish that the violation was not intentional. The AIU noted that Solomon “has not demonstrated that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were not intentional. Therefore, the mandatory period of Ineligibility is a period of Ineligibility of four (4) years.”
However, the rules also allow for a one-year reduction if an athlete admits the violation and accepts the sanction within 20 days of being notified of the charge. Citing Rule 10.8.1, the AIU said that where an athlete “admits the violation and accepts the asserted period of Ineligibility no later than 20 days after receiving the Notice of Charge,” they “may receive a one (1) year reduction in the period of Ineligibility.”
Having admitted the violations within six days of notification, Solomon qualified for that reduction.
The AIU therefore imposed “a period of Ineligibility of three (3) years commencing on 5 February (the date of Provisional Suspension).” In addition, it ordered the “disqualification of the Athlete’s results on and since 6 December 2025, with all resulting Consequences, including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points, prizes and appearance money.”
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The ruling confirms that this is Solomon’s first Anti-Doping Rule Violation. She has “expressly waived her right to have those Consequences determined by the Disciplinary Tribunal at a hearing,” bringing the matter to a close at the AIU level.
The decision will be publicly reported on the AIU’s website in line with its publication rules.
While the case now stands as a final decision of the AIU, the athlete, WADA and the Nigeria National Anti-Doping Committee retain the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.
Fresh setback
The sanction represents another setback for Nigerian athletics, which in recent years has faced heightened scrutiny over anti-doping compliance. The AIU, established by World Athletics to safeguard the integrity of the sport, oversees testing, investigations, results management and sanctions for international-level athletes worldwide.
For Solomon, the three-year ban means she will be sidelined from competition until early February 2029, with her results from the December 2025 race wiped from the record books as the sport continues its strict enforcement of the global anti-doping code.
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