Olympic Silver Medalist Samba-Mayela Provisionally Suspended

Maya Lindstrom · 2026-09-26T00:20:32.263Z

Athletes at this level should know the rules by now, so repeated location misses deserve a full look even for an Olympic medalist.

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Cyréna Samba-Mayela, a 25-year-old French hurdler and silver medalist in the women's 100m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit since September 18 for alleged whereabouts failures. The AIU announced the step on September 25, 2026. The measure bars her from official tournaments and other sporting activities until a final decision. She was also 2024 European champion in Rome, a two-time French champion (2020, 2021), and 2022 indoor European champion in the 60m hurdles in Belgrade. She withdrew from August's European Championships due to injury. Elite athletes must give daily time and location data so officials can run unannounced tests. Three whereabouts failures within 12 months can bring a ban of up to two years. The AIU has not disclosed case details or a hearing timetable, and the suspension is not a final ruling. ESPN framed the action as a ban for alleged missed doping tests. Other reports called it a temporary or provisional suspension for failing to notify officials of her whereabouts. An aggregator wire note said a ban could put her 2028 Los Angeles Olympics place at risk. The review's outcome and any final sanction remain unresolved.