the same steroid Jarrion Lawson tested positive for in 2018).
I thought he was a commentator. Isn't Jarrion Lawson the guy who used to tell people to "go down to your local track" and see how long they could hold whatever pace?
No publicly accessible proof has been provided so far by WADA or CAS.
WADA performs another hatchet job on a young athlete who threatens a certain nation that more or less controls the sport.
Would that be the same nation with two top athletes testing positive where one was allowed to retire gracefully and the other is still competing at his peak at an unusual age with no penalties and no mention?
I have to think it was an intentional decision by CAS to hold this release until the day before Worlds begins.
If you recall, Knighton was provisionally suspended in the spring of 2024 after testing positive for epitrenbolone (a metabolite of trenbolone, the same steroid Jarrion Lawson tested positive for in 2018). USADA charged him with a doping violation but Knighton appealed and an arbiter ruled in favor of Knighton after he claimed he tested positive after consuming a contaminated oxtail.
But both World Athletics and WADA appealed that decision to CAS. The hearing was in June and CAS announced today that it ruled in favor of WADA and World Athletics and Knighton will have to serve a full four-year exban (minus the three months he already served in 2024).
Knighton was the Worlds bronze medalist in the 200 in 2022 and the silver medalist in 2023. He did not make this year's Worlds team.
here is chatgpt on the topic. i am familiar with all here, if not professionally, and can say that this reflects reality imo.
Testing positive for epitrenbolone at 1 ng/mL in urine raises a serious question about the source of the substance — whether it's from intentional doping or unintentional exposure, such as from contaminated meat. Here's what we know, and how to assess the probability that this came from eating meat: 🔬 What is Epitrenbolone? Epitrenbolone is a metabolite of trenbolone, a powerful anabolic steroid used illegally in sports but legally in livestock in some countries (e.g., the U.S.) to promote growth. Trenbolone acetate is used in beef cattle, and residues can potentially end up in meat. Epitrenbolone is the main excreted metabolite and is used in anti-doping testing. 🥩 Could Eating Meat Cause a Positive Test? Yes, theoretically, but the levels matter. Studies have examined this: 🧪 Studies on Meat Contamination: Controlled studies (e.g., by WADA and national anti-doping agencies) show that eating beef from trenbolone-treated cattle can lead to trace amounts of epitrenbolone in urine.
🥩 Could Eating Meat Cause a Positive Test? Yes, theoretically, but the levels matter. Studies have examined this: 🧪 Studies on Meat Contamination: Controlled studies (e.g., by WADA and national anti-doping agencies) show that eating beef from trenbolone-treated cattle can lead to trace amounts of epitrenbolone in urine. However, in most studies, the resulting urinary concentrations are significantly lower than 1 ng/mL — usually in the pg/mL (picogram) range. 📈 Your Level: 1 ng/mL = 1000 pg/mL This is very high for dietary exposure. Levels seen from contaminated meat are usually < 0.1 ng/mL, often much lower. ⚖️ Regulatory Context: WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) does not currently accept contaminated meat as a blanket excuse for trenbolone positives, especially at ng/mL levels. WADA has pursued anti-doping violations for epitrenbolone levels well below 1 ng/mL. Athletes have had to provide evidence of meat consumption and even then sanctions often still
1. USADA charged him but I'm not convinced they would have if they weren't currently feuding with WADA over the Chinese swimming case. USADA has criticized WADA for its handling of that situation. So I suspect they didn't not want to appear to be going soft on a top US sprint star.
I did think it was notable that, when the arbitrator cleared Knighton, USADA CEO Travis Tygart said he hoped that WADA would be satisfied with the outcome. If USADA/Tygart thought Knighton was blatantly doping, you would think he'd be pissed off that Knighton was allowed to go free. This is what Tygart told me at the time:
Particularly since we were under a tight timeline to investigate and have this resolved in advance of the Trials, we felt that it was best for the technical scientific evidence on this question to be fully presented to an independent arbitrator as the process calls for and to allow WADA, in particular, who has appeal rights, to also be satisfied with the outcome as determined by that independent arbitrator. I would certainly hope they would be following our robust investigation and thorough presentation of the relevant evidence but only time will tell.
That said, WADA was not the only party who appealed this decision to CAS. World Athletics did as well, via the AIU.
2. A lot of the time in these cases where the athlete claims meat contamination, it is hard for them to prove anything because it's impossible to test whether a meal you ate several months ago contained a banned substance.
But in this case, a USADA investigator -- not Knighton's team -- was able to source a sample of oxtail meat from the bakery and it did test positive for trenbolone. Granted at a very low amount, 0.1 ng/g. Obviously this was not the exact meal Knighton ate, but the sample was from relatively close to Knighton's meal (six weeks later).
This was one of the main reasons -- if not the main reason -- that Knighton was cleared.
Look at paragraph 178 from the New Era arbitration decision:
As an initial matter, what is known is that there is a direct connection between the oxtail Respondent consumed and the oxtail served at Moreno Bakery where it was purchased. The irrefutable evidence is that the oxtail served by Moreno contains trenbolone. Respondent tested positive for epitrenbolone, a metabolite of trenbolone. This is significantly more evidence than what was available in other meat contamination cases where the athlete was found to have No Fault or Negligence. Thus, it is reasonably concluded that Respondent ingested meat contaminated with trenbolone.
3. I can't help but compare Knighton's case to the Jarrion Lawson case. And of the two Knighton actually has the stronger case for contamination yet Lawson was the one who was cleared by CAS.
Both tested positive for the same substance. Lawson's sample had a lower concentration (.65 ng/mL compared to 1.14 ng/mL for Knighton), but both of those are considered low levels. WADA's guideline says that in potential meat contaminations, anything u For cases of clenbuterol, ractopamine, zilpaterol or zeranol or its metabolite(s) at a concentration at or below (≤) 5 ng/mL, WADA-accredited laboratories shall report the result as an Atypical Finding
Based on what we've seen so far -- the CAS decision has not been published yet, so we don't know if there is any new evidence -- Knighton provided more evidence than Lawson did. Because Lawson was never able to show that the meat he ate was contaminated. One of the key reasons Lawson was cleared was because his team was able to show that some of the testimony of one of the key witnesses in his initial AIU appeal was inaccurate.
Now I'm sure that the AIU/WADA argued that the level of trenbolone in the meat sample collected by USADA was not high enough to explain the trenbolone levels in Knighton's samples. And maybe that is the case.
But the inconsistency between this case and Lawson's is troubling to me. And CAS is now raising the bar for meat contamination cases. Even if you can show trace amounts of the same substance you were banned for, that wasn't enough for them to clear Knighton.
Also, some have asked about the arbitrator who cleared Knighton. It was a sole arbitrator, Jeanne Charles.
Thank you, Jonathan. I had already very carefully read the original arbitration decision. IMO, Knighton's case may really be due to meat contaminated with trenbolone. The full CAS decision is not out yet, so either there was new evidence presented or there is politics in the mix to explain the CAS decision. I am sorry for Knighton. BTW, I am not one of the doping apologists of LRC.
Yeah let’s suspend all our best young talent while Jamaica and other countries routinely help their sprinters get around the tests. We gif people trying to bust our best guys smh. It’s a joke
Thank you, Jonathan. I had already very carefully read the original arbitration decision. IMO, Knighton's case may really be due to meat contaminated with trenbolone. The full CAS decision is not out yet, so either there was new evidence presented or there is politics in the mix to explain the CAS decision. I am sorry for Knighton. BTW, I am not one of the doping apologists of LRC.
Really? Doesn't the huge discrepancy in concentration, as pointed out by the USADA in the original arbitration decision, bother you?
"The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) accepted and chose not to appeal the U.S. tribunal’s finding of meat contamination despite the evidence from its experts that this was implausible, but it was WADA’s firm and clear view – and that of World Athletics – that Mr. Knighton had failed to establish meat contamination as the source. During its appeal to CAS, WADA brought forward several experts, including some who had given evidence for USADA in the first instance proceedings, who were able to demonstrate to the CAS Panel that meat contamination was not a plausible explanation for how the prohibited substance was found to be in the athlete’s system."
"The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) accepted and chose not to appeal the U.S. tribunal’s finding of meat contamination despite the evidence from its experts that this was implausible, but it was WADA’s firm and clear view – and that of World Athletics – that Mr. Knighton had failed to establish meat contamination as the source. During its appeal to CAS, WADA brought forward several experts, including some who had given evidence for USADA in the first instance proceedings, who were able to demonstrate to the CAS Panel that meat contamination was not a plausible explanation for how the prohibited substance was found to be in the athlete’s system."
While it is tempting to blindly trust anti-doping experts arguing against the athlete in a dispute, I would first have some questions for these experts. Is concentration something that is conserved through consumption, digestion, filtration, accumulation, and excretion? Can we predict concentration in urine by testing concentration in meat before consumption? What is the relation? And what is the distribution of concentration of trenbolone in meat? Were the samples tested by USADA representative of peak quantities that can be consumed in a meal?
It looks like Knighton, like many athletes before him, was convicted on plausibility. Whether Knighton established meat as the source looks to be a highly subjective opinion among arbiters, with different arbiters drawing opposite conclusions. This kind of ambiguity can be expected when it is left to arbiters to choose which experts to believe.
But in all cases, a failure to establish meat as the source does not succeed to establish that meat wasn't the source, or succeed to establish any other source was more likely.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
so basicaly the story here is that tygart led a lazy claim with abitrators who agreed with the respondent that as long as they showed likely source, amount didnt matter. which is clearly lazy nonsense. and tygart said; justice is served.!!!!
So wada appealed and the next lot (report unseen) said nonsense, no way the amount in your blood could be caused by the tiny amount found, or likely, in the oxtail.
so basicaly the story here is that tygart led a lazy claim with abitrators who agreed with the respondent that as long as they showed likely source, amount didnt matter. which is clearly lazy nonsense. and tygart said; justice is served.!!!!
So wada appealed and the next lot (report unseen) said nonsense, no way the amount in your blood could be caused by the tiny amount found, or likely, in the oxtail.
usada is a disgrace.
Good summary. Tygart got a lot of egg on his face. WADA rubbed it in nicely with their post-hearing statement:
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) accepted and chose not to appeal the U.S. tribunal’s finding of meat contamination despite the evidence from its experts that this was implausible, but it was WADA’s firm and clear view – and that of World Athletics – that Mr. Knighton had failed to establish meat contamination as the source.
Not to mention that WADA and WA both appealed on the same day in August last year, and then the AIU also appealed a week later. Lots of winning there, and then their is poor USADA with their banned doper.
This is nonsense. If any of you had taken trenbolone, or knew anything about how it interacts with the body, you would see how ridiculous it is to believe an athlete would take it. Inject 100mg of trenbolone acetate, feel what a surge in prostaglandins feels like on the lungs, and tell me how your workout is going when you are finding it hard to breathe. Few of you have any clue. Calling another human being a "scumbag" anyway. Right.
The holier than thou impulse in some people is very desperate. Stupid, cheater, yeah, I can see. "Scumbag" actually says everything about the person hurling the insult than it does about the object, unless they actually ARE a scumbag, like Karl Marx.
Modern doping method revs up athletes under the NCAA's lax, no-midnight-surprises system, which gives free rein to overnight microdosing. You see all these sprinters reach elite level while in college, and then spend a few years hanging on afterwards, then fizzle out
There's no reason NCAA should be allowed to have its own separate system.
I agree, BUT, a huge swath of top college athletes "fizzle out." Across all sports, team and individual, there's a large amount of athletes who are at the top in college and can't make the jump to the next level. Is the doping you describe a factor? Sure, maybe sometimes. But there's also just the fact that the next level is a whole other level of being "elite" and unsustainable for a lot of people who were elite at the college level.
Modern doping method revs up athletes under the NCAA's lax, no-midnight-surprises system, which gives free rein to overnight microdosing. You see all these sprinters reach elite level while in college, and then spend a few years hanging on afterwards, then fizzle out
There's no reason NCAA should be allowed to have its own separate system.
I agree, BUT, a huge swath of top college athletes "fizzle out." Across all sports, team and individual, there's a large amount of athletes who are at the top in college and can't make the jump to the next level. Is the doping you describe a factor? Sure, maybe sometimes. But there's also just the fact that the next level is a whole other level of being "elite" and unsustainable for a lot of people who were elite at the college level.
I'm still waiting for all those Akansas 400m women to replicate their college times as elites...only Amber Anning seems to have done so. Wilson, Whittaker, Pryce, Brown etc...not yet. Hmmm.....