Olympic medallist Samba-Mayela handed provisional doping ban
France's Cyrena Samba-Mayela reacts after competing to take fourth place in Women's 100m hurdles final at the Scottish Athletics Championships at Grangemouth Stadium, in Grangemouth, Scotland on August 24, 2025. France's Olympic 100m hurdles silver medallist Cyréna Samba-Mayela, the country's only athletics medallist at the Paris Games, has been provisionally suspended after committing three whereabouts failures, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on September 25, 2026.
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The 100m hurdles silver medallist from the 2024 Olympic Games has been banned since September 18 and risks a two-year suspension.
The 25-year-old withdrew from August's European Championships due to injury.
"I confirm that Cyrena Samba-Mayela has never returned a positive result on any anti-doping test," her representative told AFP.
"The procedure mentioned is ongoing before the AIU and concerns exclusively administrative whereabouts requirements, and not the use of any substance whatsoever.
"She continues to respond within the allotted timeframes and to cooperate fully.
"Out of respect for this procedure, she will not be making any further comment," the representative added.
Elite athletes have strict requirements about informing anti-doping officials about their locations, such as at training camps or when travelling.
They must provide a time and location each day to comply with rules regarding unannounced doping tests.
Three failures within a year to comply with the requirements, such as a missed test or inaccurate information given to the anti-doping agency, are punishable.
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