OLYMPIC finalist Erriyon Knighton has been slapped with a four-year suspension, ruling the 21-year-old American sprinter out of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 (PH time) that its panel upheld appeals filed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Athletics Integrity Unit. The appeals challenged a previous U.S. tribunal decision that cleared Knighton after he tested positive for an anabolic steroid.
Knighton is the sixth fastest man in track history over 200 meters, with a best time of 19.49 seconds. Only Noah Lyles and Michael Johnson are ahead of him among American sprinters.
That time he set in 2022 is still the world junior record, which is almost a half-second faster than Usain Bolt’s best at the same age. Bolt later set the 19.19 world record that has stood for 16 years.
That ruling had accepted his explanation that the substance came from contaminated meat. / RSC