Sports World Reacts To Crazy U.S. Track News
Shelby Houlihan, one of the best United States track and field athletes, will not be competing in the Olympic Trials or the Tokyo Games later this summer.
The U.S. record holder in the 1500m and the 5000m revealed on social media that she’s been banned for four years for testing positive for a banned substance.
Houlihan revealed that she tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone, a banned substance. However, the U.S. track star believes that she only tested positive for the anabolic steroid because of a pork burrito she ate.
“We concluded that the most likely explanation was a burrito purchased and consumed approximately 10 hours before that drug test from an authentic Mexican food truck that serves pig offal near my house in Beaverton, Oregon,” Houlihan wrote. “I notified the AIU that I believed this was the source.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQHnnb5h6Ht/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=fe443bb7-7dcd-426d-af25-72d33920756a
This is pretty wild news for the United States Olympic team heading into the summer. It’s unclear what’ll happen from here.
An increasingly familiar story across many sports: If Shelby Houlihan is dirty, sad day for T&F; if she’s clean, and banned for 4 years, even sadder day for T&F. Hard to find the cheery angle here.
— Tim Layden (@ByTimLayden) June 15, 2021
Shelby Houlihan, the U.S. record holder in the 1500m & 5000m, tested positive for the banned substance Nandrolone from a Dec. test & is banned for 4 years. No Olympic Trials. Says the positive test came from contaminated meat in a burrito. Appealed AIU's decision to CAS & lost. pic.twitter.com/MZs7pskQNH
— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) June 14, 2021
More will be learned, for sure, and I reserve the right to change my opinion (as always) in light of new information.
At present, I fully believe Shelby Houlihan is clean. Here's a little thread on why: https://t.co/MAMxL9fKg2
— Jake Tuber (@heycoachpotato) June 15, 2021
With respect to the case itself, it seems flimsy. Her coach is not an objective source here, but if what Jerry says in this post is correct, then it seems plausible that being tested <12 hours after consuming pork (known to produce these samples) could result in a positive test.
— Jake Tuber (@heycoachpotato) June 15, 2021
Shelby Houlihan on the ban that'll keep her from competing at the Trials + Olympics:
"My heart is broken and I feel extremely betrayed by the sport and this whole process. I don't trust it anymore."
She says she had never heard of nandrolone before her test results came back. pic.twitter.com/yCkbbIuOVn
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) June 14, 2021
Houlihan has made it clear that she is innocent and that she has never taken performance-enhancing drugs.
“I want to be very clear. I have never taken any performance enhancing substances. And that includes that of which I am being accused,” Houlihan wrote. “I believe in the sport and pushing your body to the limit just to see where the limit is. I’m not interested in cheating. I don’t do this for the accolades, money, or for people to know my name. I do this because I love it. I have so much fun doing it and it’s always the best part of my day.”
The U.S. Olympic Trials are set to begin on June 18.
The post Sports World Reacts To Crazy U.S. Track News appeared first on The Spun.
