Search
shop

Triathlete given eight-year ban for second anti-doping rule violation

USADA has announced that Polish triathlete Robert Karaś - a multiple world record holder - has been handed an eight-year ban after testing positive for a banned substance.
Last updated -

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has announced that Polish triathlete Robert Karaś has been given an eight-year ban after testing positive for a banned substance.

An independent arbitrator issued the sanction after an evidentiary hearing on December 20, 2024 – with the length of the ban explained by the fact this is the Warsaw athlete’s second violation in a decade.

The 35-year-old tested positive for clomiphene following an in-competition urine sample collected at the Florida ANVIL Ultra Triathlon on February 24, 2024 by USADA, who were contracted by event organisers to conduct testing and results management.

Clomiphene is a Specified Substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and is prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the World Triathlon Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.

Who is Robert Karaś?

In the full arbitration award document, which is linked here, Karaś is described as: “An elite-level, 35-year-old ultra endurance athlete from Poland. He holds an impressive list of athletic achievements, including setting multiple world records.

“Specifically, Respondent holds the double ultra triathlon world record, which consists of a 4.7-mile swim, a 223-mile bike ride, and 52-mile run. He also holds the triple ultra triathlon world record, consisting of a 7-mile swim, a 340-mile bike ride, and a 78-mile run.

“In the 2024 Florida ANVIL Ultra Triathlon event, which gave rise to his positive clomiphene test, Respondent was the only person to complete the 5x ultra triathlon event. That event consisted of a 12-mile swim, 560-mile bike ride, and 131-mile run. He completed the event in 60 hours, which set another world record.”

Suspended until 2033

Karaś was already serving a two-year ban imposed by the International Ultra Triathlon Association (IUTA) after testing positive for multiple banned substances in Brazil in May 2023, when he broke the world record in the 10-time Ironman distance. As a result he was stripped of the record.

That suspension remains in effect until 29 May, 2025 – so his new ban will commence the next day, and he will not be able to compete again until 2033.

Karaś received an extended period of ineligibility under the rules because this was his second anti-doping rule violation within a 10-year period.

The first anti-doping rule violation came when he tested positive for multiple prohibited substances from a sample collected at the direction of the International Ultra Triathlon Association (IUTA), which USADA verified through its investigation in this case.

Although the IUTA is not a signatory to the Code, USADA and all other Code signatories recognize sanctions by bodies that are not Code signatories if the sanction issued was within the non-signatory’s authority and the anti-doping rules of the non-signatory are otherwise consistent with the Code. The IUTA fits those criteria, and therefore, USADA has recognized the IUTA’s sanction.

All medals, points and prizes Karaś achieved since the date of his second positive test in February 2024 will now be forfeited, and all of his competitive results from that date disqualified.

Paul Brown
Written by
Paul Brown
Discover more
Challenge The Championship Marjolaine Pieree
How to qualify for Challenge The Championship – and why it should be on your triathlon bucket list
TRI247 Wahoo KICKR RUN treadmill review
Wahoo KICKR RUN treadmill review – can Wahoo do for treadmill running what they did for indoor cycling?
Challenge Cesenatico 2024 debut - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
5 ways to improve your FTP – Expert tips to level up your cycling
sumarpo triathlon swimming wetsuit
Wetsuit buying guide – How to choose the best wetsuit for triathlon, open water swimming, SwimRun and cold water
Challenge Almere-Amsterdam long distance triathlon bike course
How to cycle in a head wind – tips for riding your bike in windy conditions
latest News
Lucy Gossage finish line wall Montane Winter Spine Race 2025 [Photo credit: Wild Aperture Photography / The Spine Race]
How one key piece of triathlon advice helped Lucy Gossage win Britain’s most BRUTAL ultrarunning race
Paris 2024 Olympics - Cassandre Beaugrand wins
Olympic champion targets 5k test and says triathlon in February ‘makes no sense to me’
IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga 2024 - Matt Hanson finish
US triathlon star is ignoring ‘armchair quarterbacks’ as he plots IRONMAN Pro Series bid
Beth Potter (GBR) won the 2024 supertri E World Triathlon Championships.
Blockbuster triathlon showdown confirmed as Beth Potter returns to defend Supertri E world title
Cassandre Beaugrand supertri London run 2024 photo credit Supertri
Olympic gold and silver medallists sign up for PTO’s ambitious new ‘fast and furious’ indoor triathlon
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...