Eleven athletes from four countries, competing in seven sports, were involved in anti-doping proceedings that came to light during the past week. However statistics alone don’t tell the full story. This week’s cases involved a catheter, fake medical documentation, and allegations of fake urine.

Russian tennis player Ivan Mikhaylyuk (Иван Михайлюк) was sanctioned with a four year ban after refusing a urine test because he needed a catheter to urinate. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) didn’t accept his explanation to be truthful. His ban will expire on 14 January 2026.

Distance runner Betty Wilson Lempus was sanctioned with a five year ban after the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) found that medical documents had been faked in order to explain an adverse analytical finding (AAF – or ‘positive test’) for Triamcinolone.

The Kenyan was initially cleared by the French anti-doping agency (AFLD), which accepted four documents indicating that Triamcinolone had been administered as part of a medical procedure. After receiving third party information, an investigation by the AIU and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) found that although Lempus had attended hospital on the given date of 20 August 2021, she didn’t receive an injection of Triamcinolone.

When the AIU questioned Lempus in the light of this new knowledge, she maintained her defence. Despite stating that Lempus refused to reply with its requests for full medical records regarding her treatment, the AIU allowed her to benefit from a one year reduction to a four year sanction for tampering with a doping control, because she ‘accepted’ her tampering charge within 20 days of being charged.

Finally, Spanish Basketball club Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz announced that Pierriá Henry had been provisionally suspended for a ‘procedural matter’. The statement explained that Henry had not returned an AAF. However, reports allege that synthetic urine was used during his doping control. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has yet to comment.

Please continue to send any cases we may have missed or suggestions through to the editor by clicking here. Also, if you’re an athlete, national anti-doping organisation (NADO) or other Results Management Authority and you’d like us to cover a case that you’re involved with, please get in touch! Also – a reminder. The SII Anti-Doping Monitor only features confirmed AAFs (‘positive tests’) or confirmed anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs).

Decision links

Betty Wilson Lempus (AIU List of First Instance Decisions, full Decision);

Pierriá Henry (Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Statement);

Natsinet Amanuel (AIU List of First Instance Decisions, full Decision);

Konstantin Shikhov (RUSADA Statement, original Statement);

Artem Perkov (RUSADA Statement);

Irina Bochenkova (RUSADA Statement);

Alexey Korytko (RUSADA Statement);

Dmitry Fomichev (RUSADA Statement);

Denis Obertyshev (RUSADA Statement);

Alexey Sitnikov (RUSADA Statement);

Ivan Mikhaylyuk (ITF Statement; ITF Decision).