Athletics Africa Magazine

Last season, Nigerian born Spanish hurdler , Josephine Nkiruka Onyia was flying in the grand Prix circuit. From Oslo to Lausanne to Berlin she was the new kid on the block. She won the 100m hurdles in last year's Golden League meetings in Oslo and Berlin. Then, all of a sudden, news came out that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) want the 22-year-old runner banned for two years for allegedly returning two positive tests in post-race doping controls last year. The Spanish Athletics Federation's disputed the test results and refused to punish her in both cases. They exonerated her after a positive test for an unnamed stimulant following an event in Lausanne on September 2 and for a banned anabolic agent - believed to be Clenbutero l - after winning the 100-metre hurdles at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart , Germany, on September 13. Clenbuterol is regarded by the World Anti-Doping Agency as an anabolic agent. Its deliberate use carries a two...

Watching the first leg of the IAAF Golden League in Oslo two weeks, I was completely astounded to see another Nigerian hurdler in Spanish colours. This was not Glory Alozie, who ditched the country in 2001 after winning silver medal at the Sydney Olympics, but a young lovely talent - Josephine Onyia. She came 5th in a modest 12.93seconds , but last week took the women's 100m hurdles at the 46th Zlata Tetra -Golden Spike, IAAF Grand Prix meet in Ostrava with 12.91 seconds. Nigerian athletics technical director, Sunday Bada could only lament at another talent drain. He described change of nationality as another medal lost at next month's All Africa Games. Bada told the Nigerian Daily Champion newspapers: "Our athletes are leaving in great numbers, we must have to stem this trend otherwise that is how we would be losing our best athletics talents." Onyia, who currently lives and trains with Alozie in Valencia has a season's best of 12.82 seconds over the 100m hu...