Olympic sprinter Randolph Ross has been suspended for three years, according to the Associated Press. The Athletics Integrity Unit announced the decision on Dec. 13.
Ross was suspended until June 30, 2025, and will be ineligible to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. The sprinter was accused of whereabouts failures and of sending a fake email to anti-doping authorities.
Ross was first suspended on the night before his 400-meter preliminary race at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The suspension happened on July 16 after officials could not locate the athlete for a month to complete his doping test. It was the Olympic gold medalist’s third whereabouts failure in a 12-month period.
According to the Athletics Integrity Unit, the 21-year-old altered an email “allegedly confirming an update made to his whereabouts information for the relevant period.” Ross reportedly “immediately admitted” that he had changed the email in an attempt to avoid a third whereabouts failure while he was being questioned by officials from the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Ross posted a message on Instagram after winning his Olympic Gold Medal back in 2021.
“Took me 20 years, but I’m finally an Olympian 🇺🇸 #tokyo2020.”
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The sprinter from North Carolina ran track and field for North Carolina A&T State University and was named twice as the NCAA Outdoor 400 meters champion. Ross also won a gold medal in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics as part of the 4x400m team.
Ross is coached by his father, Duane Ross, who was announced as the new head coach of track and field at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville back in June. Duane Ross coached at North Carolina A&T State University for ten years. Ross followed his father to the University of Tennessee along with his younger sister, Jonah, who also runs track.