Team USA Sprinter Knighton Receives Four-Year Doping Ban, Misses 2028 Olympics

American sprinter Erriyon Knighton, a two-time Olympic finalist and one of the fastest 200-meter runners in history, has been banned for four years following a doping violation involving the anabolic steroid trenbolone. Knighton initially avoided suspension after an arbitration tribunal accepted his defense that the positive test was due to contaminated oxtail meat he consumed. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency and Athletics Integrity Unit appealed, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled the contamination claim lacked sufficient scientific evidence and was statistically improbable. The CAS upheld the appeals and imposed the maximum four-year ban, which began in September 2025, effectively excluding Knighton from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Despite this setback, Knighton remains recognized for his athletic achievements, including finishing fourth in the 200m at the 2024 Paris Olympics and holding the sixth-fastest 200m time ever recorded. The ruling highlights the stringent anti-doping enforcement in athletics and the challenges athletes face in contesting such violations.