America’s Garrett Scantling, the world’s top ranked decathlete this year, has been provisionally suspended for an anti-doping violation

It means the 29-year-old from Florida will not take part in this year’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene, where the decathlon events are due to take place tomorrow and Sunday (July 23 and 24).

Scantling, fourth at last year’s re-arranged Olympic Games in Tokyo, was provisionally suspended for a possible tampering violation stemming from a possible third whereabouts failure over missing drug tests or not filing complete information to be found for drug testing, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced.

Scantling, who previously tried out for the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars, won the US Championships in May with 8,867 points, the highest score in the world this year which put him seventh on the all-time list, ahead of Britain’s double Olympic champion Daley Thompson.

But his name was conspicuous by his absence when USA Track & Field announced its team earlier this month for the World Championships.

"Under the provisional suspension, Scantling is prohibited from competing in any competitions under the jurisdiction of World Athletics, USA Track & Field, or the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, pending the resolution of his case," USADA said.

"As such, he will not compete in the decathlon event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon."

Athletes face suspensions if they have three whereabouts failures in an 18-month period.

Whereabouts failures can be not being present for a drug test or not providing complete and accurate information to be found for drug tests.

"Unfortunately, there’s no leniency for being forgetful, you have to accept responsibility and move on," Scantling said on Instagram.

"What’s next?

"We shall see!"

USADA said Scantling agreed to have his provisional suspension made public while his case is pending.

He is the second high-profile American athlete to be ruled out of Eugene due to missing drugs tests.

Randolph Ross, who won Olympic gold last summer as part of the United States 4x400 metres relay team, was prevented from taking part after the Athletics Integrity Unit were unable to conduct an out-of-competition test on him last month.

posted Friday July 22nd
by Duncan Mackay