Rollins-McNeal banned for five years

MONACO (AP):

Olympic hurdles champion Brianna Rollins-McNeal was banned for five years yesterday in a doping case, ruling her out of this year’s Tokyo Games and the 2024 Paris Games.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said the American’s second career ban was for “tampering within the results management process” of doping control samples.

The 29-year-old hurdler’s ban runs to August 2024, days after the Paris Olympics finish.

However, Rollins-McNeal has started an appeal which could yet let her run in the 100m hurdles at next month’s Tokyo Olympics.

The AIU said that the Court of Arbitration for Sport made an interim decision to freeze her ban so she can run at the US Olympic trials this month. The full appeal will be heard before the Tokyo Olympics open on July 23.

Details of the disciplinary case were not published by the AIU, which cited confidentiality reasons. Those could be related to medical records.

Rollins-McNeal missed the 2017 season to serve a one-year ban for missing doping tests.

Her career-best time of 12.26 seconds makes her the fourth-fastest woman in history in the event. She also won the 100m hurdles title at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow in 2013.