This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
Christian Coleman, the reigning world 100m champion, is facing a potential two-year ban after missing a drugs test in December 2019.
According to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Coleman was provisionally suspended on June 16, 2020, after he missed a test on December 9, 2019.
Coleman, 24, had previously narrowly avoided being banned in 2019 after three violations of anti-doping 'whereabouts' rules across 2018 and 2019.
He had successfully argued that the first missed case should have been backdated to April 1, 2018, meaning the three failures fell just outside the required 12-month period.
However, news that Coleman missed another meeting with testers in December means that his offences in January and April of last year now come into play.
Under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, any combination of three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period is deemed a doping offence punishable by a two-year suspension.
Coleman has denied any wrongdoing, stating that he had been out shopping for Christmas presents nearby when the testers visited, and that he had been more than ready and available for testing.
He also claimed that the testers had failed to follow proper procedure, as they had not attempted to contact him by phone and had only made 'multiple, loud knocks' on his door.
Coleman's statement on Twitter was accompanied by a copy of his formal notification from the AIU of a missed test.
