Gay gets one-year doping ban, returns Olympic medal

US sprint star Tyson Gay has received a one-year doping ban from the US Anti-Doping Association (USADA) and returned his 2012 London Olympics silver medal to the US Olympic Committee.
USADA announced yesterday that the 31-year-old American track star tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid in two random out-of-competition tests and one event doping test in urine samples taken last year by both USADA and the world governing body IAAF.
Gay accepted a one-year period of ineligibility that began on June 23 of last year, the day his sample was collected at the US Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Because the random test positives were collected near the date of the meet, they were treated as one violation.
While the suspension timing means that Gay can return to competition next month, he will do so too late to take part in Diamond League meets at New York or Eugene, Oregon, or qualify for the US Track and Field Championships at Sacramento, California, on June 26-29.
Gay accepted a one-year doping ban from last June and the disqualification of all results dating to July 15, 2012 -- the date he first used a product that contained a banned substance -- and forfeited all prizes obtained from that date, which included voiding his effort on the US Olympic men's 4x100m relay runner-up squad at London.

USADA said Gay has already handed over his silver medal to USOC officials.

Also thrown out was Gay's fourth-place showing from London in the 100m final in 9.80 seconds, what had been the fastest non-medal effort in Olympic history.
After learning of his violation last year, Gay went public and said that while he never knowingly or willfully took a banned substance, he had made a mistake but did not elaborate.
Gay removed himself from all competition ahead of last year's World Championships and has not competed since.