Search
shop

ITU announces two Age-Group doping violations

A British athlete should be due a medal upgrade after the ITU today announced two Age-Group doping positives from recent World Championship events.
Chief Correspondent
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Advertisement

Medal upgrade due for a British Age-Group athlete now due?

EPO-positive for athlete who is also Elite Paratriathlon Guide… so they get DQ too

The International Triathlon Union has just posted the details of two in-competition Age-Group doping violations from World Championship events held in Gold Coast, Australia (2018) and Pontevedra, Spain (2019). Both athletes were awarded Silver medals in their respective World Championship events – results which will now be removed.

In the (EPO) case of Australian Age-Group athlete Stephen Thompson, his ban impacts not only himself, as he also raced as a Paratriathlon Guide.

Here are the specifics and the events impacted:

Stephen Thomson (AUS) – M35-39 Gold Goast Sprint

The Australian athlete “returned an adverse analytical finding for the non-specified substance EPO”, and will serve a 4-year period of ineligibility.

Here are the (as yet unadjusted at the time of writing) results from the ITU Triathlon Age-Group Sprint Triathlon World Championships held on the Gold Coast, Australia on 13th September 2018.

ITU Age-Group doping positive / Steven Thompson

With the disqualification, one of the athletes impacted is Great Britain’s Stephen Holmes. Initially placed third, he should now be due to upgrade his Bronze medal to Silver, making it a British one-two with James Wilson. (The full list of British medals from that event is available HERE). That’s not the first time that British athletes have been impacted by similar scenarios, as we reported last year after the ITU Multisport World Championships in Fyn, Denmark.

And he gets another athlete disqualified too because of it…

As well as racing in the Age-Group ranks individually, Stephen Thomson was also a guide in Gold Coast to Visually Impaired athlete Gerrard Gosens. Per the ITU statement, “The Athlete also competed as a Guide to a visually impaired athlete whose results have also been disqualified as a result.” That change is already reflected on the ITU website, screenshot of which is provided below:

ITU Age-Group doping positive / Steven Thompson - paratriathlete impact

Nuno José Pereira e Silva (POR) – M40-44 Pontevedra Long Distance Triathlon

Again, unadjusted at the time of writing, here are the results of the M40-44 category at the Pontevedra ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships.

Athlete Nuno Silva (Nuno José Pereira e Silva), “returned an adverse analytical finding for Ephedrine and Oxilofrine, both classified under the Prohibited List as specified Stimulants”, and will serve a 2-year period of ineligibility.

ITU Age-Group doping positive / Nuno Silva

 

John Levison
Written by
John Levison
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Discover more
TRI247 podcast p/b Challenge Family episode 2
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
Cadomotus Chronos triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Challenge Family Roth
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
Sam Laidlow Challenge Roth run 2025
Challenge Roth 2025 men’s results: INCREDIBLE comeback win for Sam Laidlow
Laura Philipp Challenge Roth run 2025
Challenge Roth 2025 women’s results: World Champion Laura Philipp a class apart
Challenge Roth press conference 2025
WATCH AGAIN: Challenge Roth 2025 as Philipp and Laidlow take centre stage
Julie Derron wins T100 San Francisco 2025
Olympic medallist and T100 winner reveals she’s stepping up to full distance next
Sam Laidlow Challenge Roth press conference 2025
Challenge Roth 2025: Laidlow prompts groundbreaking move as Race Ranger data will be made public
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...