CJ Ujah to be considered for Team GB 4x100m relay return after doping ban

CJ Ujah will be welcomed back into Britain’s 4x100m relay squad if he runs fast enough to earn selection after his doping ban, UK Athletics’ new technical director, Stephen Maguire, has confirmed. However, Maguire admitted there may need to be mediation with Ujah and some of his teammates to make sure “they are on the same page”.

Ujah ran the lead leg when Team GB’s relay men won silver at last year’s Olympic Games only to test positive for two banned substances, which led to him receiving a 22-month ban and the team being stripped of their medals.

What complicates Maguire’s decision is that while some in the relay squad have publicly forgiven Ujah, one of them, Richard Kilty, called his behaviour “sloppy and reckless” and said he would never do so.

Asked whether he felt comfortable in selecting Ujah, who will be free to run again in June after being cleared of intentionally taking banned drugs, Maguire said: “It’s not just me. It’s the British Athletics stance on things. If he’s available to compete we will select him.

“I haven’t spoken to CJ in a couple of years, but he made a mistake and that’s clear. So it’s looking at that environment and where it all fits. Hopefully things go easy for CJ in coming back and we’re in a position where it would be great to have that choice in selecting CJ.”

The well-respected Maguire has first-hand experience of Britain’s relay squads, having been the brains behind the world championship gold medal in 2017 and multiple other triumphs. When asked whether Ujah’s inclusion would require mediation, he said: “In the past when we’ve had issues with a practice going wrong, a dropped baton, there’s always that element you have to address.

“Yes is the word because we have to reaffirm where