Levy facing four-year ban
Published:Friday | November 24, 2023 | 12:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
THREE-TIME national 110-metre hurdles champion Ronald Levy is now facing the possibility of being slapped with a four-year ban from track and field.
Radio Jamaica Sports reported yesterday that Levy’s ‘B’ sample confirmed the two banned substances which were identified in his ‘A’ sample at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lab in Canada from an out-of-competition test last month. According to Radio Jamaica Sports, the two banned substances found in Levy’s sample are GW501516-Sulfoxide and GW501516-Sulfone.
Dr Paul Wright, physician and sports medicine specialist, told The Gleaner yesterday that those two banned substances are known to be used by athletes to aid in endurance work and the burning of fat.
“There are very many cons associated with these substances, as they are known to reduce the amount of cholesterol in persons with high levels of cholesterol that are having problems with their metabolic system. Also, athletes discovered that these drugs, if taken in small quantities, increase endurance and burn fat during exercises,” he stated.
The 31-year-old Levy, an Olympic bronze medallist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the 110m hurdles, in an Instagram post earlier this month, strongly denied knowingly taking any banned substance, after revealing that he had been informed of an adverse finding on November 3.
“I am stunned at the turn of events because I have always conducted myself with the highest level of integrity in the sport, which I love dearly and would never seek to gain an unfair advantage. I intend to defend my integrity during this process because I am certain I did not knowingly breach the rules,” the post read.
Dr Wright added that the banned substance isn’t one that an athlete can easily get rid of, as it usually takes up to three months to be cleared from one’s system.
“The problem with these drugs is that they usually take about two to three months to come out of the system and WADA has found out that this is being abused by the athletes in order to give them a boost or give them an edge when competing against other athletes,” he explained.
Dr Wright further explained that while these drugs could help with the performance of an athlete, the effects could also be detrimental to both the heart and liver. He added that, in the past, tests were in fact carried out but were stopped immediately.
“It can have serious effects on your heart and liver. There were two tests done with these substances and they were cut off immediately due to the adverse side effects. If you’re caught with these drugs in your urine, then you’re in serious problems,” Dr Wright noted.
Levy is now expected to have a hearing before an Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.
The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) is the agency mandated by the Government to execute its National Anti-Doping Programme. If there is a positive result, JADCO will gather evidence and refer the case to the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, which will then convene a hearing.