U.S. Weightlifting Athlete Katelyn Kirby Accepts Sanction for Anti-Doping Rule Violation
USADA announced today that Katelyn Kirby, of Johnstown, Colo., an athlete in the sport of weightlifting, has accepted a three-year period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for and admitting the use of prohibited substances.
Kirby, 36, tested positive for a prohibited anabolic agent and its metabolites of synthetic origin as the result of a urine sample collected at the 2023 USA Weightlifting National Championships on June 30, 2023. Based on abnormal Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) markers, her urine sample was analyzed using a specialized test known as Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), that unequivocally differentiates between anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) naturally produced by the body and AAS of synthetic origin.
After investigating, USADA determined that Kirby was using testosterone under the direction of a physician, but she lacked a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). Under the USADA TUE Policy, an athlete has the responsibility to demonstrate that the therapeutic need to treat an acute or chronic condition satisfies the strict criteria within the WADA International Standard for TUEs (ISTUE). Anabolic agents like testosterone have powerful performance-enhancing capabilities and can give an athlete an unfair advantage over fellow competitors, which is why criteria must be fulfilled beyond merely providing a prescription. Additionally, Kirby admitted to using oxandrolone for which she had no documented medical need in the final months of 2022.
Both testosterone and oxandrolone are Non-Specified Substances in the class of Anabolic Agents and are prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policy, and the International Weightlifting Federation Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
Under Article 10.8.1 of the Code, an athlete who faces an anti-doping rule violation that carries a period of ineligibility of four or more years may receive a one-year sanction reduction if the athlete admits the violation and accepts the asserted sanction within 20 days of notification of the alleged anti-doping rule violation charge. Per the rule, Kirby qualified for a one-year reduction to the otherwise applicable four-year period of ineligibility.
Kirby’s three-year period of ineligibility began on October 20, 2023, the date her provisional suspension was imposed. In addition, Kirby has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to June 30, 2023, the date her positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
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