Randolph Ross, part of the United States’ Olympic gold-winning 4x400m squad, has been banned for three years for faking an email to doping bosses.
After missing three appointments with testers in a year, the 21-year-old said an automatic email from the whereabouts system showed he had given new details.
However, Ross later admitted to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) that he had doctored the email.
He is banned until June 2025, and his results from June onwards are void.
The two-time American collegiate champion’s medal from 2021’s Tokyo Olympics, and those of his team-mates, are unaffected as they fall outside of the period of his whereabouts failures.
“It is fundamental to the proper administration of the sport that athletes are honest in their dealings with the AIU during any investigation,” said AIU head Brett Clothier.