USADA announced today that Miranda Merrell, of Mapleton, Utah, an athlete in the sport of weightlifting, has accepted a two-year suspension for her possession and use of a prohibited substance. Merrell, 33, violated the applicable anti-doping rules through her possession and use of oxandrolone in May 2017. Oxandrolone is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents and is prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the International Weightlifting Federation Anti-Doping Policy, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.

Merrell’s sanction was reduced from four years to two years because she did not specifically know her coach had provided her the prohibited substance, although he did encourage her to use prohibited substance to increase her performance. Merrell’s two-year period of ineligibility began on November 11, 2019, the date she accepted a sanction. In addition, Merrell has been disqualified from competitive results obtained on and subsequent to May 1, 2017, the approximate date that she first used oxandrolone, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

• This media release was published by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on 19 December 2019. Click here for the original.