USA sprinter Jordan Anthony suffers blood clot after botched drug test
American sprinter Jordan Anthony has developed a severe blood clot in his arm following a botched anti-doping test at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland, but still managed to win his opening 60m heat.
The 21-year-old arrived in Torun as the overwhelming favourite for the men’s 60m title after setting a world-leading time of 6.43 seconds earlier this year.
However, his preparations were severely disrupted when a pre-competition blood draw went drastically wrong.
‘The size of a football’
An official administering the routine test failed to correctly locate a vein, leaving the athlete with significant swelling and requiring heavy strapping on his left arm.
“Yesterday I had drug testing, they took blood, but he didn’t stick my vein, he stuck outside,” the sprinter told reporters in Poland.
“I got a clot, the size of a football. Luckily, I’m still running.”
Remaining focused on gold
Despite restricted mobility in his arm, the former Arkansas collegiate star comfortably won his opening heat in 6.54 seconds to advance to the semi-finals.
The sprint sensation recently claimed the United States title, defeating Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles and Trayvon Bromell in the process.
It was Lyles who provided vital advice to his younger compatriot ahead of the global event.
“Noah told me before I got here, ‘get used to the unexpected, you never know what might happen’, this is the unexpected,” he added.
“But it’s not going to stop me. Nothing is going to affect me from winning a gold medal for Team USA.”
The American remains the primary contender for gold, though Great Britain’s defending champion Jeremiah Azu and Jamaican Kishane Thompson pose significant threats to his campaign.
