US sprinter could face drug ban after missed tests — reports

Christian Coleman, who has run 100 meters quicker than anyone else in 2019, was thought the man most likely to win next month's World Championships in Qatar but has reportedly missed three separate tests in the past 12 months.

British newspapers the Daily Mail and The Times reported that Coleman, a late withdrawal from an athletics meeting in Birmingham this weekend, is challenging one of the alleged "whereabouts" failures.

Under global anti-doping rules, athletes are required to make their precise whereabouts known to drug-testers up to 90 days in advance so that out-of-competition testing can be performed.

Any that fail to meet this requirement are treated in the same way as an athlete who has failed a drugs test and will be handed an automatic suspension.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) would not comment on Coleman's case specifically but told news agency AFP: "In general, for any potential violation a full investigation will be conducted and the case must be resolved before information is made public by USADA,"

Depending on the dates of Coleman's potential missed tests, the sprinter could miss the world championships and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the two biggest events in athletics.

mp (AFP, AP)