U.S. Olympic Hurdler Brianna McNeal Facing 5-Year Ban for Anti-Doping Rule Violation

The Athletics Integrity Unit announced Friday that American Olympic gold medalist Brianna McNeal, who won the 100-meter hurdles at the 2016 Summer Games, has received a five-year ban for a violation of anti-doping rules.

Tom Schad of USA Today reported McNeal was accused of "tampering within the results management process," but the AIU didn't provide full details of the suspension citing "confidentiality reasons." The ruling is retroactive to Aug. 15, 2020.

The 29-year-old Miami native has appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and can compete in this month's U.S. Olympic Trials while the case plays out, per Schad.

Howard Jacobs and Lindsay Brandon, McNeal's lawyers, released a statement about the decision to appeal, saying the hurdler is "not a doper, and firmly believes that she did not violate any anti-doping rule," per Schad.

"This case involves a misunderstanding related to an explanation that Brianna McNeal voluntarily provided to the AIU about a January 2020 missed test," the attorneys wrote. "The AIU has not accused Brianna McNeal of ever using any banned substances, has not accused Brianna McNeal of evading doping control; and has not accused Brianna McNeal of tampering with any urine sample or blood sample."

McNeal, who was provisionally suspended in January, wrote on Instagram in February she was dealing with a "tough few weeks" between the ban, a sprained ankle and a COVID-19 diagnosis.

"As far as my situation goes, I am still me! Very clean, very honest and transparent," she wrote. "Once all of this blows over I will provide more details of what's actually going on. The system is pretty messed up if you ask me but that's another topic for another day."

McNeal burst onto the scene by winning gold in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2013 World Championships. She cemented herself among the best track and field competitors in the world by taking home Olympic gold three years later.

Her previously blossoming career has featured a series of missteps in recent years, though.

She received a 12-month sanction from the United States Anti-Doping Agency in 2017 for a failure to provide whereabouts information for out-of-competition testing. The ruling, which was reached by a American Arbitration Association panel, came after she failed to provide whereabouts details for three tests in 2016.

McNeal missed the 2017 World Championships because of that suspension. She was then disqualified from the 2019 World Championships because of a false start during the preliminary heats.

The AIU noted her CAS appeal "will be heard before the Tokyo Olympics," so if she qualifies for Team USA during the Olympic trials and wins the appeal, she'll be eligible to compete in the Summer Games, which begin in July.