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Shelby Houlihan’s name has been removed from updated start lists for Olympic track and field trials in the United States, meaning the US record holder has no place in the 1500 or 5000 prelims meters Friday.
Houlihan was given a four-year ban for testing positive for traces of nandrolone, a performance enhancer. She says the substance entered her body after eating a pork burrito. There are several examples of contaminated meats causing positive tests.
USA Track and Field initially said Houlihan would be allowed to attend until all of his appeals were exhausted. He later said he would not allow any banned athlete to compete.
Houlihan could have appealed the decision of the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport to the highest court in that country.
As of noon in Eugene, Oregon, however, no word of such a deposit had been given, meaning his suspension remains in place.
Houlihan started on the start list for both races on Thursday, leading to unhooked phone calls to the USATF, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, World Athletics and the US Anti-Doping Agency. The main question: why was the runner, who shared the news of her suspension earlier in the week on social media, still on the start list?
“Despite how frustrated people might be with the CAS decision, it is serving a penalty,†USADA CEO Travis Tygart said. “Under the rules, she is not allowed to compete. It would be illegal for her to do so, unless a court decides otherwise.”
