Mauricio Fiol Villanueva has been sanctioned with an eight year ban for a second anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) involving stanozolol, after six tests taken before, during and after the Lima 2019 Pan American Games returned adverse analytical findings (AAFs) for the anabolic steroid. Fiol’s first four year sanction was imposed for an ADRV involving stanozolol at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, where he won a Silver medal in the 200m butterfly. 

Fiol returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for stanozolol from an out of competition (OOC) test on 30 June 2019, before his four year ban was due to expire on 11 July 2019. A second OOC sample collected on 7 July also returned an AAF for stanozolol, as did a third sample collected in competition (IC) on 12 July in the lead up to the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. 

A fourth OOC sample (12 August); a fifth OOC sample (1 September); and a sixth OOC sample (17 September) also returned AAFs for stanozolol. The international swimming federation (FINA) Doping Panel Decision (PDF below) determined that all six AAFs resulted from a single ingestion of stanozolol, and should be treated as a single ADRV.

On 5 August last year, Fiol announced that his AAFs meant that he would miss the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. He reiterated that he never intended to take stanozolol, arguing that to take it again after his first ban would be ‘suicide’. In a statement posted on Facebook (below), he argues that tests on 23 April and 22 May were both negative for stanozolol. 

https://www.facebook.com/300021323378036/videos/625105527983042

Fiol’s eight year ban runs from 3 August 2019 – the date of his provisional suspension – to 2 August 2027. Fiol, 26, has yet to publicly comment on FINA’s decision to impose an eight year sanction.