Shelby Houlihan loses appeal against her four-year drugs ban
Shelby Houlihan, who is the women's American record-holder over 1500m and 5000m, has been banned from athletics for four years after The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed her appeal over a positive drugs test.
The 28-year-old missed the Olympic Games after she tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone, which she claimed had originated from a pork burrito she ate the night before the test.
In their statement, CAS said: "First, the Panel finds it possible but unlikely that the Athlete’s burrito contained boar offal.
"Second, the Panel finds it possible but unlikely that the ingestion of boar offal would have resulted in the urinary concentration of 19-NA found in the Athlete’s A- and B- Samples. 137.
"Third, the Panel finds it possible but not probable that the ingestion of boar offal would have resulted in the Athlete’s reported urinary concentration of 19-NA or her carbon isotope ratio of -23%. 138.
"Fourth, the Panel finds that neither the hair analysis nor the polygraph results are sufficient."
Shelby Houlihan loses her appeal against a four-year ban after CAS upheld the decision ⬇️ https://t.co/WxSIYV4biV
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 1, 2021
Houlihan, who finished fourth in the women's 1500m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, had argued – via testimony heard by CAS – that she had "never heard of nandrolone until she opened the documents sent by AIU (Athletics Integrity Unit)", adding that she is "morally opposed to doping" plus "would go so far to say that cheaters face jail time."
The athlete's statement added: "The outcome of this case will deeply affect her reputation in the world of sports and could stay with her for the rest of her life."
However, CAS concluded: "The Athlete has not satisfied her burden of proof on the balance of probabilities that the ADRV (anti-doping rule violation) was unintentional, and the ADRV must be deemed to be intentional."
Therefore the four-year ban – starting on January 14, 2021 – has been upheld.
It means that Houlihan will not be able to return to the track until 2025 meaning that she will miss her home world championships in Oregon next year plus the 2024 Olympics.
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