Lazraq-Khlass banned for whereabouts violation

Auriana Lazraq-Khlass won silver when she finished behind Nafissatou Thiam at the 2024 European Championships [Getty Images]French heptathlete Auriana Lazraq-Khlass has been suspended for 22 months for failing to comply with anti-doping rules.Lazraq-Khlass, the 2024 European silver medallist, was accused of three breaches of the whereabouts requirements between February and November 2025.The World Anti-Doping Code states an athlete cannot miss three anti-doping tests and/or filing failures within a 12-month period."The Disciplinary Tribunal has suspended Auriana Lazraq-Khlass for 22 months with effect from 26 March 2026 for breaches of her whereabouts obligations," the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) wrote on X.The 27-year-old did not contest her first two breaches, having failed to update her whereabouts in the app that allows the anti-doping authorities to track athletes.She did contest the third breach, saying that when she tried to update her whereabouts for the following day, it was instead applied retrospectively to the same day.The tribunal said that while Lazraq-Khlass "did not appear to be attempting to evade testing" she had nevertheless displayed "carelessness and negligence".The punishment of a 22-month suspension is slightly less than the potential two-year maximum, while her results going back to 20 November 2025 will be wiped out.Lazraq-Khlass had been provisionally suspended since March and will remain out of action until January 2028, six months prior to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.She competed at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and finished 16th and also secured 12th and 18th-place finishes at the 2023 and 2025 World Championships.Lazraq-Khlass suspended for whereabouts violationGB and Wales' Griffiths banned after drug testFormer 100m world champion Kerley banned for two years