Mexico’s Tomas Rodriguez Hernandez has been provisionally suspended from triathlon competition under anti-doping rules following his astonishing victory at IRONMAN Texas earlier this year.
The 25-year-old Rodriguez Hernandez really hit the swim/bike/run headlines in April when running a stunning 2:34:14 marathon en route to a shock victory at IRONMAN Texas.
He was then offered a financial bonus by Challenge Roth organisers last month to break the 2:30 marathon mark in a long-course triathlon. But he was a late withdrawal from the classic in Germany, citing personal reasons.
ITA release statement
On Tuesday (August 6) the news came out of the International Testing Agency (ITA) that Rodriguez Hernandez had returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for Clomifene (S4. Hormone and Metabolic Modulators). The sample was collected during an in-competition test at that IRONMAN Texas race on April 27.
The ITA statement confirmed that Rodriguez Hernandez has been notified of the case, and has been provisionally suspended pursuant to Article 7.4.2 of the IRONMAN Anti-Doping Rules (IRONMAN ADR).
Rodriguez Hernandez requested the opening and analysis of the B-sample, which confirmed the result of the A-sample. The athlete also challenged the imposition of the Provisional Suspension.
What happens next
The ITA has asserted an Anti-Doping Rule Violation as per Article 2.1 and/or Article 2.2 of the IRONMAN ADR. The case will be referred to the International Hearing Panel, which is IRONMAN’s first instance panel as per Article 8 of the IRONMAN ADR, to hold a hearing on the case.
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