Doping ban on Salwa Eid Naser might rid fans of an epic 400m Olympic battle

Salwa Eid Naser kept looking at the big screen in disbelief after her spectacular run of 48.14s at the World Athletics Championship 2019, Doha beating rival Shaune Miller-Uibo. Naser set the third fastest 400m ever at the Championship, which helped her fend off Miller's late push across the final bend and into the main straight. Naser became the youngest world champion and also the first-ever Asian to win the 400m event.

The World Championship in Doha set the stage for an epic Olympic battle between the two champions. Miller, who has already won the 400m Gold in Rio 2016, now had to notice the imminent threat Nasar was posing.

The battle of Naser at 5 ft 6 inches and Miller at 6 ft 1 inch might look like David vs Goliath, but in reality, the gold was both of theirs to take. Miller, with her long stride and Naser with the intense pace, battled for the top spot.

In June 2020, Naser, born in Nigeria but competing under the Bahrain flag, got charged with four alleged whereabouts failures by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). The charges included a filing failure on March 16, 2019, and three missed tests on March 12 and April 12, 2019, and January 24, 2020. Ruling at the arbitration court swung in Naser's favour over violation for an early-morning sample that could not be taken at her apartment in Riffa, Bahrain, in April 2019. A doping control official could not find her between 6-7 a.m. because of a sequence of events that "would have been comical were the consequences not so serious," the ruling said, referring to the Offical mistaking apartment maintenance closet for Naser's apartment. The order also stated that the Nasar would keep her Doha World title. The World Anti-Doping Agency and World Athletics both filed appeals at CAS to challenge an independent tribunal ruling last year that cleared Naser on a technicality for doping tests she missed. The World Anti-Doping Agency and World Athletics both have filed appeals at CAS to challenge an independent tribunal ruling last year that cleared Naser on a technicality for doping tests she missed. The CAS judgement which was to come in April 2021 has not yet been announced, casting doubts over Naser's participation in the Tokyo Olympics.

If the CAS finds Naser guilty of doping, the path to an Olympic gold for Shaune Miller-Uibo of Bahamas would become rather easy, robbing the fans of what could have been a battle for ages.

Note - This article at first mentioned that Salwa Eid Naser has been banned outrightly by the CAS and will not be competing at the Olympics. The oversight is regretted and has now been rectified, as we wait for the final decision of CAS on the fate of the Bahraini athlete.