Raven Saunders, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, has been sanctioned with an 18-month suspension for skipping three anti-doping controls in the same year, according to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
“The accumulation of three fouls in a 12-month period constitutes a rule violation of the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing and the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules,” USADA explained in a statement released Wednesday. .
Saunders, who did not report to the trials on January 8, May 26 and August 15, 2022, will not compete again until February 2024, missing the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. in July, as well as the World Championships in Budapest to be held in August.
The athlete has accepted the sanction that has been imposed on her, and has acknowledged her mistake through a message on her Twitter account. “As a veteran I should have done better and I take full responsibility for my actions. I have not tried any test for any substance and was retested after each of my negative results. I have always been an advocate of clean sport,” she said. saying.
Saunders, who will be able to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, has already set a date for his return to competition. “I will return to claim the throne on February 15, 2024!” he adds in his message.
The 26-year-old shot putter, who finished behind China’s Gong Lijiao in Tokyo, went viral for her gesture as she stepped onto the podium, where she crossed her arms above her head “in favor of all the people who are oppressed.” “As he explained at the time.
The IOC opened an investigation into the gesture of the American athlete, since Olympians are prohibited from making political claims on the podium, but in the end it was not sanctioned.
