media_artricles :: 2014

Gay suspended for 1 year

Former world double sprint champion Tyson Gay has been suspended for one year after testing positive for a banned substance, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said yesterday.

He has also returned the silver medal he won with the US 4x100 metres relay team at the 2012 London Olympics.

Gay’s one-year ban began last June 23, the day his sample was collected at the US championships.

As part of the suspension, Gay, the joint second fastest man in history, was disqualified from all competitive results since July 15, the date he first used a product that contained a prohibited substance.

The American 100-metre record holder had tearfully ad­mitted last July he had failed an out-of-competition doping test, saying “I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down.”

The 31-year-old could have been suspended for two years for his first doping offence but received a reduction because of his substantial assistance into the investigation of his case, USADA said.

“We are thankful he deci­ded to come in and be truthful in his co-operation with us,” USADA chief executive Tra­vis Tygart told Reuters.

Gay will be eligible to return to competition in June of this year and will be eligible for future world championships and Olympics, Tygart said.

An investigation into the circumstances of his case is ongoing and his suspension is subject to appeal by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

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