US sprinter Tyson Gay was given a one-year suspension for testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid in 2013, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Friday.
According to a USADA release, “Gay, 31, tested positive for the presence of an exogenous androgenic anabolic steroid and/or its metabolites, which was confirmed by CIR (GC/C/IRMS) analysis, as the result of two out-of-competition and one in-competition urine samples collected by both USADA and the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF). Anabolic Androgenic Steroids are prohibited under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing and the IAAF Anti-Doping Rules, both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code (“Code”) and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. Since all three samples were tested in short succession prior to notification of the first positive result, the three adverse analytical findings, under the rules, are treated as one offense.”
The release further said, “On the same day that Gay was notified of his positive test result, he agreed to assist USADA in its investigation of the circumstances of his positive tests. Gay provided substantial assistance as outlined in the WADA Code, including being interviewed on several occasions by USADA and providing all of the products he was using at the time of his positive tests.”
As a result of his providing substantial assistance to USADA, he became eligible for up to a three-quarter reduction of the otherwise applicable two-year sanction under the Code (or a six-month suspension).
The 31-year-old four-time U.S. champion in the 100m has also been disqualified from all competitive results dating back to July 15, 2012, the day he first used a product that contained the prohibited substance. He has already returned his silver medal in the men’s 4x100m relay from the 2012 London Olympic Games, which is now in the possession of the US Olympic Committee.
In reporting the story, USA Today’s noted that Gay’s representative said the sprinter had no comment on the matter and that last year Gay’s coach Lance Brauman pointed out that the person Gay trusted had “no affiliation with me or anyone else in my training group.”
Gay was once part of the USADA’s “My Victory” program promoting efforts to compete cleanly.
USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement,
The sanction is subject to appeal by the IAAF and by the World Anti-Doping Agency.