Armstrong accepts USADA warning

The doping case of the American track and field champion from 9 February was resolved with a minor sanction, as the United States Anti-Doping Agency accepted the athlete's explanations despite her not having a medical prescription

Alia Armstrong was part of the United States national athletics team that competed at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, in Poland last week, and she took part despite testing positive three days before the start of the competition. Analysis of an out-of-competition sample provided by the sprinter revealed traces of spironolactone, a prohibited substance as it can act as a diuretic and masking agent.

The drug has several medical uses, but Armstrong argued to the USADA and stated on her social media that she was taking it as part of her hormonal treatment for acne due to polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition she has managed for years. The key to the potential controversy surrounding the leniency of her sanction, a formal warning, lies in the fact that spironolactone must be prescribed by a doctor for athletes to be permitted to use it. A Therapeutic Use Exemption is required for official permission to use the medication if it is medically necessary. Armstrong did not have this exemption at the time of testing, claiming she was unaware and providing further information about her use in an immediate response to the USADA after receiving notification.

"I was really nervous. I didn't know what was going on because I didn'’t realise it was a banned substance. I've learnt a lot from this experience, and my doctor confirmed that it was a medication I could take. I trusted my doctor, but moving forward, I realise that I need to be more informed about the US Anti-Doping Agency and all the anti-doping rules," she explained on X.

The body responsible for the anti-doping control of American athletes accepted her arguments and concluded that she had not intended to gain an advantage over her rivals. As the test was conducted outside of competition, her results were not annulled, including the national 60 m hurdles title she had won six days earlier. Armstrong and her doctor immediately requested the prescription so that she could continue taking the medication without any further issues.

However, the final resolution of the sprinter's case has sparked some controversy, as the authorities did not rule in the same way in similar cases. In 2023, American athlete Allison Ostrander received a four-month ban following a provisional suspension for using canrenone, a metabolite of spironolactone. Although the substance was in an acne medication prescribed by her doctor, she did not have an official TUE, similar to Armstrong's situation. All of her results were invalidated.

A comparable case involved track and field thrower Gwendolyn Berry, who tested positive for the same substance under similar circumstances. However, as it was her second positive test, the sanction was extended to 16 months.