Long jump African record holder Luvo Manyonga has received a provisional suspension from competition after violating an anti-doping rule.
The former world champion could find himself in deeper waters in a form of a ban, which would be the second of his decorated career after missing three doping tests.
According to international regulations, athletes are not allowed to miss more than two tests in a 12-month period.
“The AIU has charged Manyonga for whereabouts failures, a violation of the World Athletics anti-doping rules,” the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) recently announced.
“The long jumper has been provisionally suspended.”
The AIU, an independent body that monitors and manages doping cases in global athletics, said Manyonga had been issued with a notice of charge.
Manyonga, one of the biggest track and field stars in South Africa, was handed an 18-month ban in June 2012 after testing positive for methamphetamine.
That did not stop him from realising his talents. In 2017, arguably his peak year, he won gold at the World Championships in London. In the same year, the 30-year-old set the long jump African record of 8.65m in Potchefstroom.
All this followed a brilliant performance at the Rio Olympics in Brazil the previous year, where he won a silver medal.
His 8.65m mark is 30cm short of the world record, held by former American track and field athlete Mike Powell.
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