Samba-Mayela Provisionally Suspended Over Whereabouts Failure
French hurdler Cyréna Samba-Mayela has been provisionally suspended after receiving a Notice of Allegation for a potential anti-doping rule violation under Article 2.4 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.
The case was recorded on September 18, 2026, with the allegation listed as a whereabouts failure.
Article 2.4 concerns an athlete’s obligation to be available for out-of-competition testing. An anti-doping rule violation under the article is established when an athlete accumulates three whereabouts failures, any combination of filing failures and/or missed tests, within a 12-month period.
Samba-Mayela is one of France’s leading sprint hurdlers. She won 100m hurdles silver at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the 2024 European title, while also winning the 60m hurdles gold medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships.
She holds French records of 12.31 seconds in the 100m hurdles and 7.73 seconds in the 60m hurdles.
The provisional suspension is a temporary measure pending the outcome of the anti-doping proceedings. The Notice of Allegation does not itself constitute a final finding that Samba-Mayela committed an anti-doping rule violation.
