Team USA star Jordan Anthony suffered a shock blood clot before competing at the World Athletics Indoor Championships after a drug test went wrong.
Anthony, seen as the favourite for the men’s 60m, where Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu bids to defend his title won in Nanjing last year.
The 21-year-old has the fastest time in the world this year at 6.43secs, three hundredths faster than next best Kishane Thompson and a further hundredth ahead of teammate Trayvon Bromell, Azu and Bryan Levell.
But his chances were thrown a curveball after an anti-doping mistake, leaving him with a blood clot and heavy tape on his left arm.
Anthony got his championship underway with a comfortable run in 6.54secs to win heat four ahead of tonight’s semi-finals and the former Arkansas star remains calm and confident about his chances to win a medal.
“Yesterday I had drug testing, they took blood, but he didn’t stick my vein, he stuck outside,” Anthony told media in Torun, including Let’s Run. “I got a clot, the size of a football. Luckily, I’m still running.
“That’s why my arm is taped up. I can’t really do this with it. It is what it is, that’s not going to stop me.”
Anthony claimed the United States title earlier this month with a sizzling 6.45secs, ahead of Bromell and Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles, and the latter has given him advice to thrive on the big stage this week in Poland.
“Noah told me before I got here, ‘get used to the unexpected, you never know what might happen’, this is the unexpected,” Anthony added.
“But it’s not going to stop me. Nothing is going to affect me from winning a gold medal for Team USA. I think I like it, it’s pretty stylish.”
