USA Track and Field athlete Erriyon Knighton has received a 4-year ban after testing positive for trenbolone, which is a banned substance within the sport. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld two appeals by World Athletics and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), after Knighton was previously cleared of any charges by a tribunal in the US that ruled that he tested positive because of consuming contaminated meat.
Knighton’s ban will begin immediately and will run for 4 years. He had served a provisional suspension last year ahead of the Paris Olympics, but was later cleared to go ahead and compete. Knighton was regarded as one of the most exciting sprinting talents in the world after his performances in Paris, where he finished fourth in the 200m event. He will also be missing out on the World Championships in Tokyo which starts on September 13th.
The Athletics Integrity Unit announced on X that Knighton will be serving a ban after testing positive for the anabolic steroid trenbolone.
Erriyon Knighton has broken multiple sprinting records in his career, such as becoming the youngest ever sprinter to medal at the World Championships. He was coached by Mike Holloway at the University of Florida after he turned pro.
WADA releases official statement after Erriyon Knighton receives 4-year ban
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) released an official statement after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld their appeal to ban Erriyon Knighton for four years. They wrote:
“We welcome the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to uphold our appeal in the case of American sprinter Erriyon Knighton. As a result, the athlete has been suspended for four years. WADA is pleased with the outcome and we will continue to appeal cases to CAS when we feel justice has not been served.”
CAS also released an official statement, revealing that Knighton argued in a hearing held in Lausanne that he had a dish which was contaminated with trenbolone.
“A hearing took place on 23 and 24 June 2025 at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland where Mr Knighton argued that the ADRV was caused by the ingestion of an oxtail dish contaminated with trenbolone. After considering the scientific evidence, the CAS Panel determined that there is no proof that would support the conclusion that oxtail imported into the USA would be likely to contain trenbolone residues at the level required to have caused the Athlete’s Adverse Analytical Finding.”
Erriyon Knighton is also the sixth-fastest man to run the 200m, recording a time of 19.49 seconds in 2022.
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Edited by Harshvardhan Shankar
