French runner Calvin to miss Paris marathon after ban

PARIS: European silver medallist Clemence Calvin will miss Sunday’s Paris marathon after being hit with a temporary ban for evading an anti-doping test in Morocco.

Calvin’s lawyer Arnaud Pericard said the runner had been temporarily suspended by the French anti-doping agency (AFLD) for two violations of their rules. The first involved revealing her whereabouts after 8:00pm on March 27 and the second was for evading a doping test the same day.

Her partner and coach Samir Dahmani was also hit with a temporary ban by the AFLD for obstructing an anti-doping test, according to Pericard. Calvin, who ran a best of 2hr 26min 28sec when finishing second in the European championships in Berlin last year, had hoped to compete in the Paris marathon in a bid to bag a qualifying time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"If I could run the Paris marathon, I would because I’m proud and strong," a tearful Calvin said, with her lawyer saying they were considering appealing to the Conseil d’Etat, France’s principal judiciary body.