Erriyon Knighton escaped a possible Paris Olympics upset with a close call. But little did he know that he would get distressingly close to another. He lost out on the bronze spot in the men’s 200m finals at Stade de France by just 0.19 seconds. Moreover, he still isn’t free from the shroud of uncertainty, as he is trying to duck and dive, while the possibility of a 4-year ban still looms over his career. But after his recent win at the Lausanne Diamond League, the American looked optimistic.

In 19.78 seconds, Knighton came in second to the Botswanan athlete, Letsile Tebogo, taking home a silver from the event. After the same, Knighton remarked, “It feels good to be back in the league but there’s definitely room for improvement. I go back to Europe 2 days ago and I’m still adjusting. The competition was strong, and now I’m focused on the next steps. The plan for next year is to compete with the best in the world and go to the World Championships in Tokyo.” Despite the ban scare, the 20-year-old seems to have mapped out his plans going forward, and several strategies seem to be in the pipeline.

With 2 world championship feats, Knighton is a track star in the making. Despite faltering from his target in Paris, he has made a remarkable comeback today. And now, a promising opportunity seems on the horizon for him. A few days back, the Enhanced Games added an X post, opening the door to a major opportunity for Knighton. “You are welcome at the @enhanced_games Erriyon Knighton 🏆 4th in the 200m Olympics Final.” This comes into play as despite being cleared for Paris,  Erriyon Knighton’s LA 2028 dreams look in jeopardy. You must be wondering why. Well, here’s all that has transpired.

Erriyon Knighton’s doping fiasco crops up to the front again

It all started with Knighton testing positive for a prohibited substance, Trenbolone in March 2024. Traces of this are often found in animal meat and one such bakery from where Knighton ate was tested by an independent panel. Post which, the United States Anti-Doping Agency gave him a clearance and the Court of Arbitration of Sports allowed the athlete to compete in Paris.

But now, it seems Erriyon Knighton is in for a rough ride. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is now challenging this decision. AIU is now looking to counter the call that athlete established “no fault or negligence.” And the body has filled an appeal to the CAS with respect to this issue.

However, Travis Tygart, the USADA chief executive has also hit back with a substantial reply. Tygart first accepted that it was WADA’s right to conduct a review of this matter. After which, the USADA’s procedure was briefly explained, right from Erriyon Knighton’s initial suspension to the arbitration stage. At the same time, Tygart did not remain silent on the issue of the Chines athletes. The official questioned WADA with respect to the sanctions on the Chines athletes, 23 of them who had tested positive for TMZ.

But, as of today the athlete’s future hangs in balance. Nonetheless, he seems very confident of his competitive plans. He seems to be calmly rolling with the punches. What do you think of his chances to bounce back? Let us know below.