"Most disrespectful line of questioning" "Shameful journalism"- Fans react to Salwa Eid Naser getting questioned about doping at Paris Olympics

Salwa Eid Naser was crowned the women’s 400m silver medallist at the Paris Olympics 2024 following her relentless run which earned her a place on the podium. Marileidy Paulino won the race in an Olympic record of 48.17 as Natalia Kaczmarek completed the podium.

However, questions still linger on whether Salwa Eid Naser ran clean considering her records. The Athletics Integrity Unit reported that Naser had failed to record her whereabouts four times before her dominant run at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

Following the violation, Salwa Eid Naser was slapped with a two-year ban over the missed tests between March 2019 and January 2020. The ban would mean she would miss the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games since the ban was from June 2021 to February 2023.

In a post-race press conference in Paris, two journalists questioned her credibility and asked her how they would believe she ran clean.

"You served a two-year ban for doping whereabouts offences and I’m wondering how are we supposed to believe that you are running clean today?" one journalist asked.

"Given you disrespected the anti-doping, the principle of clean sport by missing four drug tests in the space of 12 months, do you believe it was fair on the other athletes, that you were allowed to compete tonight?" another journalist asked.

The questions have raised concern from fans, with some insisting that there was no problem with the structure while others fumed at the two journalists.

One fan wrote:

"This has to be one of the most disrespectful line of questioning I’ve ever heard. If I were one of the other medalist on that stand, I would’ve shut that reporter down for his ridiculous questions."

"She wasn’t ‘hounded’. She was asked very legitimate questions that we would all asked of her, given her record of non-compliance," another fan wrote.

"That’s not hounding these are legitimate questions from bonafide journalists who have the right to ask them," another fan wrote.

"Super disrespectful. Give the queen her praise until she's proven to have taken anything,'' another fan wrote.

"It's shameful journalism. Junk journalists with national agenda rather than to cover the athletes fairly focused on facts. No Irish athlete was tested as much as Salwa in the last two years. We know all about the cover-ups and the TUE exemptions they practice over there," anothe chimed in.

"Someone in that room should've stopped that line of questioning. But Salwa held her own," another added.

Salwa Eid Naser fires back at two journalists questioning her credibility after winning silver at Paris Olympics

Salwa Naser fires back at two journalists questioning her credibility after winning silver at Paris Olympics - Source: Getty

Salwa Eid Naser maintained her innocence after claiming the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Paris Olympics.

In a post-race press conference, two journalists asked her questions regarding her ban for whereabouts failures. Salwa Eid Naser noted that she does not have anything to prove and her ban was unfair.

"First of all, I want to thank God for this medal. Being on the podium after serving a ban and passing all of my tests, I really don’t have anything to prove to anyone because I am going to be tested after this [press] conference," Naser said.

"My tests were never intentional. I would never want to miss a drug test as I really don’t have anything to hide. They were never intentional but they were mistakes a normal human being can make. What I think is not being fair is me being banned because I did nothing," she added.

The Nigerian-born Bahraini athlete announced her comeback this season after missing the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

She has been impressive, running blistering times in her Olympic campaign. In the women’s 400m first round, she won her heat before extending the winning streak to the semifinal. In the final, the four-time Asian champion finished second.