Josephine Onyia
Encyclopedia
Josephine Onyia is a Nigeria
n-born Spanish track and field
athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles
. She represented Spain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
She changed nationality from Nigeria to Spain in April 2007, following in the footsteps of another hurdler Glory Alozie
. Her first medal as a Spaniard came at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final
, where she took the hurdles silver medal
. She started the following season with a gold medal
at the 2008 European Athletics Indoor Cup
, but tripped at the last hurdle at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
and finished in last place. Onyia set a Spanish national record
at the 2008 IAAF Golden League
meet in ISTAF Berlin meeting, recording 12.50 seconds and improving upon her previous best by 14 hundredths of a second. She competed in the hurdles at the Summer Olympics
and just missed the final after finished fifth in the semi-finals. She was the gold medallist at the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final
later that season.
However, she tested positive for methylhexaneamine at the 2008 Athletissima
meeting and also clenbuterol
at the World Athletics Final. Real Federación Española de Atletismo, the Spanish athletics body, decided not to sanction the athlete as she had tested negative twice around the time of the positive clenbuterol test. However, the IAAF intervened and took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
(CAS). The CAS upheld the IAAF's appeal and Onyia was suspended for two years and her recent past results were annulled, effectively removing her of all her achievements as a senior athlete. The two separate positive tests were treated as one single breach of the doping rules as she had not been informed of the first until after the second positive test. She received a two year competitive ban, set to expire on 10 November 2010.
She returned to competition in January 2011, taking an indoor win in Zaragoza.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n-born Spanish track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles
100 metres hurdles
The 100 m hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by women . For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 cm are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 meters. They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner...
. She represented Spain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
She changed nationality from Nigeria to Spain in April 2007, following in the footsteps of another hurdler Glory Alozie
Glory Alozie
Glory Alozie Oluchi is a Spanish athlete competing mostly in hurdling. The world junior second placer from 1996, she went on to have a successful senior career, although she has never won a major international event...
. Her first medal as a Spaniard came at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final
2007 IAAF World Athletics Final
The 5th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart, Germany on September 22 and September 23, 2007.-Men:- Women :-External links:*...
, where she took the hurdles silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
. She started the following season with a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 2008 European Athletics Indoor Cup
2008 European Athletics Indoor Cup
The 2008 European Athletics Indoor Cup was held on 16 February 2008 at the CSKA Universal Sports Hall in Moscow, Russia. It was the fourth and final edition of the indoor track and field meeting for international teams, which featured the six top performing nations from the 2007 European Cup and...
, but tripped at the last hurdle at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Luis Puig Palace in Valencia, Spain, March 7-9, 2008.-Bid:Valencia was announced the winning bidder by the IAAF on November 13, 2005 at an IAAF Council meeting in Moscow, Russia.-Men:...
and finished in last place. Onyia set a Spanish national record
Spanish records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Spain maintained by its national athletics federation: Real Federación Española de Atletismo .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:-External links:* * * *...
at the 2008 IAAF Golden League
IAAF Golden League
The IAAF Golden League was an annual series of track and field meetings organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations...
meet in ISTAF Berlin meeting, recording 12.50 seconds and improving upon her previous best by 14 hundredths of a second. She competed in the hurdles at the Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from August 15 to August 24, 2008, at the Beijing National Stadium. The Olympic sport of athletics is split into four distinct sets of events: track and field events, road running events, and racewalking...
and just missed the final after finished fifth in the semi-finals. She was the gold medallist at the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final
2008 IAAF World Athletics Final
The 6th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart, Germany on September 13 and September 14, 2008.A number of road races also took place on the second day of competition. There were seven different starting points around the Stuttgart area and the distances varied...
later that season.
However, she tested positive for methylhexaneamine at the 2008 Athletissima
Athletissima
Athletissima is an annual athletics meeting at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.The first edition was held on 8 July 1977....
meeting and also clenbuterol
Clenbuterol
Clenbuterol is a sympathomimetic amine used by sufferers of breathing disorders as a decongestant and bronchodilator. People with chronic breathing disorders such as asthma use this as a bronchodilator to make breathing easier...
at the World Athletics Final. Real Federación Española de Atletismo, the Spanish athletics body, decided not to sanction the athlete as she had tested negative twice around the time of the positive clenbuterol test. However, the IAAF intervened and took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
(CAS). The CAS upheld the IAAF's appeal and Onyia was suspended for two years and her recent past results were annulled, effectively removing her of all her achievements as a senior athlete. The two separate positive tests were treated as one single breach of the doping rules as she had not been informed of the first until after the second positive test. She received a two year competitive ban, set to expire on 10 November 2010.
She returned to competition in January 2011, taking an indoor win in Zaragoza.
Achievements
| 2003 | World Youth Championships 2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the 2003 version of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada from the 9th to the 13th of July.-Boys:-Girls:-Medals table:-External links:*... |
Sherbrooke, Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
4th | 100 m hurdles |
| 2007 | World Athletics Final 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final The 5th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart, Germany on September 22 and September 23, 2007.-Men:- Women :-External links:*... |
Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
2nd | 100 m hurdles |
| 2008 | European Indoor Cup 2008 European Athletics Indoor Cup The 2008 European Athletics Indoor Cup was held on 16 February 2008 at the CSKA Universal Sports Hall in Moscow, Russia. It was the fourth and final edition of the indoor track and field meeting for international teams, which featured the six top performing nations from the 2007 European Cup and... |
Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... , Russia |
1st | 60 m hurdles |
| World Indoor Championships 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Luis Puig Palace in Valencia, Spain, March 7-9, 2008.-Bid:Valencia was announced the winning bidder by the IAAF on November 13, 2005 at an IAAF Council meeting in Moscow, Russia.-Men:... |
Valencia, Spain | 8th | 60 m hurdles | |
| Olympic Games Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from August 15 to August 24, 2008, at the Beijing National Stadium. The Olympic sport of athletics is split into four distinct sets of events: track and field events, road running events, and racewalking... |
Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China |
5th (semis) | 100 m hurdles | |
| World Athletics Final 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final The 6th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart, Germany on September 13 and September 14, 2008.A number of road races also took place on the second day of competition. There were seven different starting points around the Stuttgart area and the distances varied... |
Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... , Germany |
1st (DQ) | 100 m hurdles |