Tokyo 2020 Olympics shot put silver medalist Raven Saunders has been banned for 18 months for violating whereabouts rules, said the US Anti-Doping Agency.
The punishment comes after she was not found for a doping test three times in a 12-month period.
The American woman’s sanction comes into effect on August 15, 2022, when for the third time she was not detected for a doping test at the specified address.
Raven Saunders will miss the US outdoor championships as well as the World Championships in Budapest in August but will be able to compete at Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I have not failed a single substance test and have been tested after each of the missed tests. I have always been an advocate for clean sports”, said Raven Saunders.
Raven Saunders is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and discus throw. She was the silver medalist in shot put at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, throwing a distance of 19.79m. She won three NCAA collegiate titles in the shot put for the University of Mississippi. She was a world junior medalist in 2014 and the Pan American junior champion in 2015. She holds a personal record of 19.96m for the shot put.
