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Lyles happy to see Coleman cleared over missed doping tests

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AFP Brussels
Last Updated : Sep 05 2019 | 8:05 PM IST

American Noah Lyles hailed Christian Coleman's exoneration from alleged doping violations as great news for the US team at the world championships that start later this month in Doha.

Coleman, the fastest man over 100m this year, had faced a potential two-year suspension after drug testers reported they were unable to locate him on three separate occasions in a 12-month period.

However the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) dropped the case after determining that the time-frame exceeded the specified one-year period.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which monitors anti-doping efforts said it would not appeal the decision as did the Athletics Integrity Unity, set up by the IAAF as an independent body to police doping in track and field.

"Well, I'm glad to see him running again. I don't wish ill upon anybody," Lyles said ahead of Friday's Diamond League final in Brussels.

"I'm happy that we can have a strong team going for the US in the 100m." Lyles, 22, admitted that he relies on his mother to input his "whereabouts" details to USADA at the start of each quarter.

"I started when I was 17, I swear I was one of the youngest on the USADA list, I wasn't even a pro," said the sprinter who became the fourth fastest of all time over 200m with his 19.50sec in Lausanne.

"The scariest thing on my mind was the fact that if I missed three I could be gone for a year and I absolutely didn't want that."
- One missed visit -
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Lyles admitted, however, to having missed one home visit by anti-doping officials. "It was in 2017 when I put in p.m. instead of a.m.! So I'm expecting them in the morning, I went out with my friends for dinner and I came back and saw a mail saying I'd missed a test."

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First Published: Sep 05 2019 | 8:05 PM IST

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