Two-time Olympic finalist Erriyon Knighton, a 21-year-old United States sprinter, has been handed a four-year ban due to a doping case involving an anabolic steroid. This ban effectively rules him out of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport supported appeals by the World Anti-Doping Agency and track and field investigators, disputing Knighton’s earlier clearance by a U.S. tribunal that attributed his positive test to contaminated meat consumption.
WADA and the Athletics Integrity Unit contended that the evidence provided was statistically improbable and pressed for a maximum four-year suspension. Despite being the sixth-fastest man in the history of 200-meter track events, with a personal best time of 19.49 seconds, Knighton now faces a significant setback in his athletic career. Notably, only Noah Lyles and Michael Johnson rank higher among American sprinters in this category.
The ruling allows Knighton to retain his participation in the Paris Olympics, where he finished fourth in the 200 meters. The ban, effective from Friday, accounts for the provisional suspension Knighton served for over two months last year. Consequently, the ban is set to expire in early July 2029. The steroid detected in Knighton’s test is commonly used in livestock farming.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency oversaw the initial case against Knighton and accepted a “no-fault” decision based on his explanation of meat contamination from a bakery in central Florida. However, both WADA and World Athletes deemed Knighton’s evidence and contamination explanation insufficient and statistically improbable.
Despite the ban, Knighton’s participation in the Paris Olympics remains unaffected. He finished with a time of 19.99 seconds in the event, securing the fourth position behind gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and his U.S. teammates Kenny Bednarek and Lyles. Knighton did not qualify for the 200 meters in the U.S. team for the ongoing world championships in Tokyo, where he previously earned silver and bronze medals in the event.