MONACO — The sprinter who set the under-20 world record at 100 meters has been banned for four years and had his record stripped after anti-doping officials ruled against his claim that his positive test for a performance-enhancer came from eating “recovery gummies.”
The Athletics Integrity Unit, which runs track and field’s anti-doping operation, announced the penalties Monday for Issam Asinga, who ran a U20 record of 9.89 seconds in the 100 at the South American championships last summer.
Asinga, who lives in Florida, burst onto the track scene by beating world champion Noah Lyles in April 2023 in a wind-aided time of 9.83.
He has been suspended since August, when he tested positive for a banned substance called GW1516, which was developed to build endurance and burn fat but failed medical trials when it was found to cause cancer during tests on rodents.
Asinga said he took gummies that were supposed to aid in his recovery. He said two containers of the gummies revealed the presence of the banned substance, but the AIU panel that heard the case said he did not satisfy the burden of proof that the gummies were the source of the drug found in his sample.
The penalties, which can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, scrub all his results since July 18, including the world-record time and the 100- and 200-meter crowns from last year’s South American championships.
