Athletics Integrity Unity announced suspending Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman for a whereabouts failure. Newman won the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and her mark also set a new national record.
Newman was the first Canadian to medal at the Olympics since William Halpenny in 1912. Her achievement was also the first of its kind for a female athlete from her nation.
Alysha Newman Faces Suspension For Whereabouts Failure
Newman competed collegiately at the University of Miami, where she set school, ACC, and Canadian records, and also finished runner-up at the NCAA Championships in 2016. At the elite level, she put her country’s name on the map with multiple podium finishes and record-breaking marks.
Since her Paris Olympic exploits, Newman hasn’t competed in many events, and her last outing was at the Czech Indoor Gala, in Atletická hala, Ostrava, CZE, where she reached a height of 4.50m. Just a month into 2026, the 31-year-old was suspended for whereabouts failure, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit’s recent statement. She missed three tests, but the official release doesn’t specify the details.
A whereabouts failure constitutes an anti-doping rule violation when athletes fail to provide accurate location information or fail to show up for testing.
Alongside Newman, Indian athlete Pooja Aatmaram also faced a suspension after she failed to submit a sample during an attempted sample collection.
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The 31-year-old pole vaulter boasts a career in modeling and social media influencing alongside track and field. Newman, who made the 2021 Maxim Hot 100 women’s list, also posts on OnlyFans to supplement her income. After Paris 2024, the pole vaulter posed in lingerie for Maxim, proving she is built to shine both on and off the track. She also partnered with global brands such as Rado and Nike and appeared in their campaigns.
The pole vaulter aimed to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but she failed to take off on all three attempts in the qualification round, missing the final team. The following year, she faced more setbacks, being hampered at the Commonwealth Games by a heel fracture, and didn’t qualify for the World Championships finals.
She also withdrew from the 2024 World Indoors in the wake of an ankle sprain but bounced back to earn a podium finish at the London Diamond League stop. After twelve weeks of recovery, she achieved her outdoor season’s best mark of 4.76 m. Newman holds the Canadian national and Commonwealth Games records in women’s pole vault.
