Ajee Wilson, pictured in June 2016, tested positive for a banned substance but was found not at fault for its presence in her urine by USADA © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / Patrick Smith
LOS ANGELES, United States, Jun 19 – Ajee Wilson forfeited her American indoor record 800-meter victory at the Millrose Games but will not face a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said Monday.
Wilson, a 23-year-old Olympian, was found not at fault by USADA for traces of the banned anabolic agent zeranol found in her urine sample from the February 11 meet in New York, where she won the 800 in a US indoor record 1min 58.27secs.
As punishment for her doping violation, Wilson was disqualified from the race, leaving the American indoor 800m record as Nicole Teter’s 1:58.71 from 2002.
Wilson, second in the 800m at last year’s US Olympic trials and a Rio Olympic semi-finalist, is set to compete for an 800m world championships berth starting Thursday at the US Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, California.
The USADA finding of no fault or negligence on Wilson’s part for ingesting the banned substance came after an investigation into the circumstances that led to the positive test, including a review of her dietary habits and food purchase receipts.
USADA said Wilson tested negative one week before the Millrose Games and that laboratory reports showed low parts per billion concentrations of the banned substance.
Also considered were reports from multiple independent experts on zeranol in the food supply and environment, including how the substance is used to promote growth in US beef cattle.
USADA concluded it was highly unlikely the zeranol in Wilson’s sample resulted from a source other than zeranol-contaminated meat.
As a result, her victory in the 600 meters at the US Indoor Track and Field Championships last March remains intact. She won the US 800 indoor crowns in 2013, 2014 and 2016 and the US 800 outdoor title in 2014.
