US decision to clear Olympian Erriyon Knighton over failed drugs test to be appealed
- Sprinter, who reached the 200m final in Paris, was allowed to compete by his country’s drugs bosses after blaming contaminated meat
The doping case involving US sprinter Erriyon Knighton’s claims of eating contaminated meat is being appealed and will be sent to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, while Knighton’s lawyer suggested the sprinter could be “collateral damage” in an ongoing feud between anti-doping authorities across the globe.
The Athletics Integrity Unit, which polices anti-doping on a global level for track and field, said it was appealing the “no-fault” finding issued by the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) before this summer’s Olympic trials.
Knighton tested positive for a banned drug Trenbolone, which is often found in livestock and has been linked to a number of contamination cases over the years. Knighton said he ate oxtail from a bakery in central Florida that was contaminated.
After Knighton was cleared by Usada, he qualified for the 200 metres at Olympic trials, then finished fourth in Paris.
His case was singled out last week by anti-doping authorities in China, who suggested US and Chinese athletes aren’t held to the same standard – an argument made in the context of the withering criticism the country and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) have faced over the handling of contamination cases involving Chinese athletes.
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“The very public battle between Wada and Usada, which has recently caught the attention of the IOC, rightly leads to the question of whether US athletes like Erriyon Knighton are collateral damage in a series of coordinated efforts against USADA’s attacks,” Howard Jacobs, Knighton’s lawyer, said. “Erriyon will vigorously defend himself against this baseless appeal.”
