Friday, 5 April 2019:

The American coach of rising Australian 400m star Bendere Oboya has been suspended following a raid on his home by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

Greg Smith, who famously played one NRL match for the Newcastle Knights back in 1999, had his laptop and mobile phone confiscated during the raid by ASADA late last year, the Herald-Sun reported.

The 18-year-old Oboya - who made her senior international debut at last year's Gold Coast Commonwealth Games - is the fastest qualifier in 53.05 seconds for Saturday's 400m final at the Australian championships in Sydney.

The Ethiopian-born Oboya was dubbed "the next Cathy Freeman" after a series of stunning junior performances in 2017 and 2018.

She performed below expectations at the Gold Coast Games, clocking 55.62 to be eliminated in the heats,

But in the absence of the likes of Anneliese Rubie and Morgan Mitchell she is favoured to win a first national 400m title this weekend.

Smith is expected to watch the women's 400m final from the grandstand at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre on Saturday.

But he has had his official coaching accreditation terminated by Athletics Australia while the ASADA case plays out.

AAP