US OLYMPIC SPEED speed skater Chris Creveling has been banned for four years after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced on Monday.
Creveling, a silver medallist in the 5000m relay at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, was caught with traces of the testosterone-boosting drug clomiphene in his system, the agency said.
The 30-year-old was caught after an out-of-competition test conducted on October 18 last year.
Clomiphene was initially developed as a fertility drug, helping to stimulate ovaries. However the substance also has performance-enhancing qualities by boosting levels of testosterone.
Creveling’s ban is effective from November 18, 2016, the date he accepted a provisional suspension.
The sanction, which also sees him forfeit all competitive results from that date, dashes Creveling’s hopes of competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
He had recently vowed to target a place at next year’s Games, vowing to go for Olympic gold.
“I do have another shot,” he told an interviewer in March. “That’s all I can think about.”
