Erriyon Knighton had not competed at all since the Florida Relays on March 30 and now we know why: he tested positive for trenbolone on March 26 and had been provisionally suspended since April 12. That is the same substance Jarrion Lawson tested positive for back in 2018.
Knighton claimed the positive test was due to consuming contaminated meat. Sometimes when that happens, USADA will clear the athlete, but it looked like USADA actually wanted to ban him this time. Knighton appealed and the decision went to an independent arbitrator. That hearing was held on Friday and Sunday and today the arbitrator issued her decision and cleared Knighton. So he is immediately eligible to compete again.
This story may not be over though, because WADA and the AIU both have the right to appeal the decision. It could wind up in CAS, but for now Knighton can run.
I'm surprised he took tren. Its a very potent steroid,with dangerous side effects,although i know sprinters and weightlifters take it. That explains all the sprinters you'll see with veins popping out on their arms and elsewhere. He really shouldn't be allowed to compete in the championships.
Yeah, I was just reading about it. Affects your heart, blood pressure, and has some really nasty reproductive side effects (particularly for men). If it really is in all of our meat that we're eating (though I don't think it is), then we have some problems lol!
That's interesting. I guess what I'm most curious about is whether the steroids are still present in meat after slaughter and cooking.
It looks like trenbolone has a half life of 1 day, which means that the animal will have metabolized 50% of the dose by 24 hours after injection. The USDA also says "Certain steroid hormones have been approved for use at very low concentrations to increase the rate of weight gain and/or improve feed efficiency in beef cattle" meaning that they're given ultra low doses. This makes me think contaminated meat would then be quite rare (it would have to have been slaughtered in the perfect window of time - and why would you give a cow an injection to fatten it up right before slaughter?.
he tested positive for metabolites of trenbolone though. It seems fair to say that half life figure doesn’t reflect the possibility of testing positive for those.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
Given he's still pretty skinny I don't imagine he is genuinely regularly taking tren in his cycle, so I'm inclined to believe this. That is to say, that even if he was doping he'd probably be using other substances than tren. Want to see the full hearing though
This is my take as well. I'm not by any means a steroid user or involved in that scene, but even I have heard trenbolone has a reputation as some scary stuff (you may have heard of 'tren cough', and it doesn't end there). It would be strange for a top-level guy like Knighton to be using a steroid that has been known about for decades, has crazy side effects, and is easily caught.
This is not to say I think Knighton is clean necessarily, just that his explanation for this finding is more plausible than the typical excuse.
Yeah - tren is the crap 19 year olds in their first year of hitting the gym take, not world championship medalists. Speaking from a strictly utilitarian perspective, it makes 0 sense for Knighton to be taking tren on purpose. There are many, many more steroids on the market these days that are far more effective and far less detectable.
Also, I guess this explains why his agent was so reluctant to say anything about his status.
It looks like trenbolone has a half life of 1 day, which means that the animal will have metabolized 50% of the dose by 24 hours after injection. The USDA also says "Certain steroid hormones have been approved for use at very low concentrations to increase the rate of weight gain and/or improve feed efficiency in beef cattle" meaning that they're given ultra low doses. This makes me think contaminated meat would then be quite rare (it would have to have been slaughtered in the perfect window of time - and why would you give a cow an injection to fatten it up right before slaughter?.
he tested positive for metabolites of trenbolone though. It seems fair to say that half life figure doesn’t reflect the possibility of testing positive for those.
he tested positive for metabolites of trenbolone though. It seems fair to say that half life figure doesn’t reflect the possibility of testing positive for those.
how long are the metabolites detectable then?
No idea, I was just pointing out it’s likely to be a bit more complicated than that 24 hour number. Presumably this is the sorta thing discussed in the yet to be released full report.
Given he's still pretty skinny I don't imagine he is genuinely regularly taking tren in his cycle, so I'm inclined to believe this. That is to say, that even if he was doping he'd probably be using other substances than tren. Want to see the full hearing though
This is my take as well. I'm not by any means a steroid user or involved in that scene, but even I have heard trenbolone has a reputation as some scary stuff (you may have heard of 'tren cough', and it doesn't end there). It would be strange for a top-level guy like Knighton to be using a steroid that has been known about for decades, has crazy side effects, and is easily caught.
This is not to say I think Knighton is clean necessarily, just that his explanation for this finding is more plausible than the typical excuse.
Its not easily caught at all, its just in the latest years there have been methods to reliably pick up on its metabolites.
Genuine question: is tainted meat really so common in the US?
I just looked it up, and apparently trenbolone specifically is widely used to bulk cattle up. I don't know why but given that fact it's very plausible that you could test positive off meat. It's a shame if that's really what happened as he's definitely in a losing battle vs. public opinion
That's why these top end athletes need to consume organic when it comes to animal proteins. I'm sure they can afford it.
Faster pools, looser rules for things like breast stroke turns, technique refinements, etc help. But there are plenty of World records that are 10+ years old. For the men: 4x100, 4x200, 400, 200, 800,50, 200 back, 200IM, 1500m are all pretty old. There aren't as many old women's records, but several are approaching 10 years old. 50 fly, 200 IM, 800. The 100 fly record took 10 years to break.
Are we allowed to see evidence presented to defend him? I’m a big Knighton fan, but that article did not provide me any relief that he didn’t take this himself.
It also didn't say why he was able to keep his provisional suspension secret like Shelburrito. Lucky guy, I say.
Not going to lie.. I feel dumb for not knowing this:
“Can hormones be used in cattle raising?”
“Yes. Hormones may be used to promote efficient growth. Estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone (three natural hormones), and Zeronal and trenbolone acetate (two synthetic hormones) may be used as an implant on the animal's ear. The hormone is time released, and is effective for 90 to 120 days.”
Are we allowed to see evidence presented to defend him? I’m a big Knighton fan, but that article did not provide me any relief that he didn’t take this himself.
It also didn't say why he was able to keep his provisional suspension secret like Shelburrito. Lucky guy, I say.
USADA generally just do that now. Happened last year with Tara Davis, and also the AIU did it last year with Tamara Clark. They probably had a rule change.
Hard to say much without the info. There’s a scenario where they it was a trace amount and they go to the meat supplier and test it and it all checks out. There’re ones where it feels like USADA is maybe giving the benefit of the doubt overly. Tygart we know seems forgiving on this issue. It should come out later where this lies.
But Tygart didn't clear him. This time USADA tried to ban him, but the lone arbitrator let him off. Must have been a close call if even Tygart wanted him banned.
I highly doubt the tren was actually found in the meat. In that case, it wouldn't have gone to arbitration.
Fuk thia guy! He is cleared only because of smart lawyer/powerful sponsor. That's the way it's always been. He's on Team Doper now for my fanship. I will be actively cheering against him. Don't fool yourself with any grey area thinking here.
Fuk thia guy! He is cleared only because of smart lawyer/powerful sponsor. That's the way it's always been. He's on Team Doper now for my fanship. I will be actively cheering against him. Don't fool yourself with any grey area thinking here.
What's it like cheering for people who haven't been caught yet? Maybe he's innocent.
In my opinion, he should have moved up to 400 a couple years ago and been solid with Norman.
It also didn't say why he was able to keep his provisional suspension secret like Shelburrito. Lucky guy, I say.
USADA generally just do that now. Happened last year with Tara Davis, and also the AIU did it last year with Tamara Clark. They probably had a rule change.
Interesting, thanks. The AIU keeps announcing all the Kenyan provisional suspensions though, so there ought to be some criteria?
Once again, I'm very close to not giving a f about pro track.
Then drop attention-seeking behavior and leave, or be honest with yourself and admit that you're addicted to the LR forums. We all know you'll be here forever.