Los Angeles (AFP)

Too much offense? American sprint star Christian Coleman, 100m world champion in Doha last year after close to a suspension, has missed new doping controls and could be banned from the Olympics in Tokyo.

It was via his Twitter account that Coleman announced Tuesday his new breach of location rules, found on December 9, 2019 by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

"And now, that could lead to my suspension," he laments, claiming to have tried in vain to contest, during the past six months, the offense with this organ of the International Federation responsible among other things for the fight anti-doping.

Coleman also released a screenshot of its official notification by the instance of its failed test. If the procedure comes to an end, he is liable on the part of the International Athletics Federation to a suspension of up to two years. Which could deprive him of the Tokyo Olympics in July-August 2021.

The threat is not so new: this is what the 24-year-old athlete already faced at the end of summer 2019, after three breaches of localization obligations in less than a year.

He had finally narrowly escaped in September, cleared by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Present in Doha, he was crowned world champion on the straight thanks to an impressive time of 9 sec 76.

- Two years of suspension? -

Coleman's offenses were recorded on June 6, 2018, January 16, 2019 and April 26, 2019.

However, the American had successfully argued that the first missed case should have been backdated on the first day of the corresponding quarter (April 1, 2018). This placed the three failures over a longer period than the required 12 months.

Now, with this new appointment missed on December 9, associated with those of January and April 2019, Coleman finds himself once again in delicacy with the regulations.

Under the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency, three breaches of the location rules accumulated within 12 months are considered an offense punishable by two years suspension. And although such a suspension can sometimes be reduced to a year, with extenuating circumstances, Coleman's liabilities argue against it.

In his long message posted on Twitter, he accuses the IAU of having somehow provoked this failed test in December.

"I think the attempt on December 9 was deliberate, to make me miss a check. Do not tell me that I have + missed a check + if you sneak in front of my door without my knowledge," he wrote, assuring that '"there is no record of anyone coming to my house".

- "Informed the next day" -

The sprinter also claims that the controllers went to his home while shopping for Christmas gifts at a nearby mall, and that this could be verified by his bank statements.

"I was more than ready and available for a check and if I had received a phone call, I could have submitted to it", he assures, deploring not having "been informed of this check the next day, December 10, 2019, by the IAU. "

According to the notification published by Coleman, the controller indicated that he showed up at his apartment and did not receive an answer after "several loud blows, every 10 minutes" for an hour.

He also pressed the doorbell, but no sound came out. However, he did not try to reach Coleman by phone, according to this document.

"I have been contacted by phone the times I need to be checked," says Coleman. "I don't know why this time was different. Since he didn't hear my doorbell, why didn't you call me?"

Coleman finally indicates that he was checked two days later. "And several times again, even during my forties. But of course it doesn't matter, and the fact that I never doped either," he said.

© 2020 AFP