Thomas Lawaetz has been issued with a four-year ban by Anti-Doping Denmark (ADD) after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO) at the KMD Ironman competition in Copenhagen (pictured) on 23 August. Lawaetz, who competes for the Ninjas.dk club, was top of the Danish Triathlon Association rankings in the 35-39 age group.

‘It will soon be announced that I have taken EPO in connection with my last Ironman’, read a statement published on Lawaetz’s Facebook page. ‘I would, in this context, like to emphasise that nobody has pushed me into it – it was something I did alone and I take full responsibility’. A list of Ironman athletes currently serving sanctions is available here.

“Our partnership with Anti-Doping Denmark is exactly the kind of collaboration that is necessary among anti-doping organisations if we are going to be effective in detecting and ultimately deterring doping in our sport”, said Kate Mittelstadt, the Director of the Ironman Anti-Doping Programme in a statement. “There is shared intelligence, effective coordination and a commitment to working effectively and efficiently to combat doping and protect the rights of clean athletes at every level”.