Erriyon Knighton’s Olympic season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. After making waves for breaking Usain Bolt’s U20 world record at the 2021 Olympic Trials, he’s found himself in the eye of the storm this time around. Back in March, the young sprinter had tested positive for a banned substance. Even though he initially faced suspension, he promptly appealed it and found his way back to the historic Hayward Field back in June this year.

The athlete did get the chance to set foot in the French capital. But this incident has now come back to haunt him yet again. The Athletic Integrity Unit posted an update regarding the same earlier today on X. “The AIU has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the case relating to Erriyon Knighton (USA).” While Knighton was given a chance to make his way to Paris, the sprinter might have to go through the wringer yet again.

Erriyon Knighton’s woes are far from over

Leading up to the Paris Olympics, Knighton’s dreams to compete on the world’s biggest stage came to a crashing halt. He had tested positive for a banned substance in March. However, when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency determined this happened due to the sprinter consuming contaminated meat, after careful consideration, an arbitration panel cleared him to run in the 200m event at the Olympic Trials that took place at the Hayward Field in June.

USADA’s CEO, Travis Tygart, stated that they had followed all the steps in cases like this. He further added that they promptly tested the meat. They even interviewed the manager of the establishment along with the sprinter and his family. Through a thorough investigation, they eventually confirmed that the contamination claim happened to be valid. Tygart believes that the outcome was a result of this process. However, global concerns like the CHINADA (Chinese Anti-Doping Agency) and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) were still heavily debating if this was a step in the right direction.

WADA has previously stated that they will only come to a conclusion through a reasoned decision. Once they receive it, they will then study the case file to determine whether the appeal still stands. Even though the AIU has filed an appeal to the CAS, we will have to wait for things to unfold before any conclusions come to light. The controversy has not been put to bed yet. But Knighton successfully turned things around during the Olympics trials in June.

Putting his best foot forward on the world’s biggest stage

After being cleared to contest at the historic Hayward Field, Knighton turned heads by securing a spot on the Paris-bound team. His stellar season best of 19.77 seconds in the 200m event helped him comfortably secure a third-place finish behind Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek. He had successfully punched his ticket for his second Olympic berth. He only had one goal at the French capital: to break the sub-19 barrier. Did he do it?

The 2023 200m U.S. Champion had failed to step onto the podium at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, and he was hoping this year would be his moment to shine. He got one step closer to that dream when he made it to the 200m finals at Stade de France. However, fate wasn’t on his side this time around either. The sprinter missed out on a podium finish yet again, trailing behind bronze medalist Noah Lyles in 19.99 seconds. Now that he is back from the French capital, will the CAS verdict sway in his favor or add to his woes?