Shelby Houlihan has been handed a four-year suspension from competing in the 1,500m and 5,000m events, where she holds the US records, due to a positive doping test conducted at the end of last year.
The doping test was conducted in December and indicated the presence of the anabolic steroid nandrolone in Houlihan’s system. Upon being informed of the results by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in January, she claimed ignorance of nandrolone and attributed the findings to a burrito she consumed from a local Mexican food truck that serves pig offal, just 10 hours before the test.
Houlihan and her team sought to clear her name before the US trials, but their efforts were in vain as the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne ruled against her, prompting her to reveal her side of the story.
“The lab stood firm in their initial judgment. Instead of reconsidering, they simply labeled me as a cheat who had orally ingested a steroid sporadically,” she stated. “I am confident that my explanation aligns with the truth. Let me emphasize, I have never used any performance-enhancing substances.”
Expressing his disappointment, her coach, Jerry Schumacher, criticized the court’s verdict as a “tragic outcome.”
