National triple-jump champion gets three-year ban for doping violation

The Athletic Integrity Unit (AIU) has handed Goodness Iredia, a Nigerian triple-jumper, a three-year ban for failing a doping test. 

In a statement on Friday, AIU said Iredia took an in-competition urine test in Louisville, US, on January 31, and the sample was discovered to contain “metenolone and its metabolite”.

Metenolone is an anabolic steroid used in muscle building, which is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) both from in-competition and out-of-competition usage for athletes.

AIU added that Iredia did not have a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for the detected substance.

“On 5 March 2025, the athlete returned a signed admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violations and acceptance of consequences form confirming that he admitted the Anti-Doping Rule Violations and accepted the asserted period of ineligibility,” the statement reads.

The ban takes retroactive effect from February 26, 2025, until February 25, 2028.

Iredia is Nigeria’s reigning national champion in the men’s title jump. He won the title at the Olympic Trail in Benin in June 2024, clocking 6.55 meters on his second attempt in the final.

He also claimed bronze in the men’s long jump at the 2024 African Athletics Championships.

Iredia joins a lengthy list of Nigerian athletes currently serving multi-year anti-doping bans.

Blessing Okagbare was banned for 11 years in 2022. Divine Oduduru was also handed a six-year ban, while Grace Nwokocha was sanctioned in 2023.