LaShawn Merritt handed a 21-month ban for doping
U.S sprinter LaShawn Merritt, a double Olympic champion who also has three World Championship titles to his name, has been handed a 21-month ban for using banned substances.
Merritt tested positive for doping three times between October 2009 and January this year. The 400m champion's samples contained traces of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and pregnenolone.
"As a result of the arbitration decision, Merritt received a 21-month period of ineligibility, which began October 28, 2009, the day the first sample was collected," USADA, the US Anti-Doping Agency, said
in a statement on Monday. "Merritt has also been disqualified from all competitive results achieved at and subsequent to October 28, 2009, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes."
Ban shortened by USADA
Merritt, who set his personal best in the 400m event in the Olympic final in Beijing two years ago, clocking 43.75 seconds, said this April that the had not intended to consume the substances, claiming
they entered his body after taking a "male enhancement" pill.
In its ruling, the American Arbitration Association (AAA) found Merritt's explanation credible, leading to USADA shortening his ban to 21 months, three months less than the two years usually handed first-time
offenders.
"His mindset when purchasing the product was thinking about having s*x with a woman. It never entered his mind that the product contained a steroid derivative. He admitted he did not look at the label,"
the ruling read, pointing to Merritt's actions after receiving the test results as proof that he had taken the substances inadvertently.
"He testified that his heart sank. He thought how stupid he had been. Rather than hiding his fact Mr Merritt announced it to the world, recognising the humiliation that would soon follow, and immediately
informed Usada."
As the ban will run from the day of Merritt's first positive test in October last year, the sprinter will be eligible to compete in time for next year's World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
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