Press releases 19 August 2015

US Weightlifting Athlete, Rybka, Accepts Sanction

USADA announced today that Jason Rybka of Sisters, Ore., an athlete in the sport of weightlifting, has accepted a 4-year sanction for an anti-doping rule violation. This sanction was subsequently reduced by eight months at the discretion of USADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) based on Rybka’s prompt admission of the violation.

Rybka, 39, tested positive for methasterone, ostarine, androstatrienedione and its metabolite 5β-Androst-1-en-17β-ol-3one, as a result of a sample collected on April 11, 2015 at the Masters Weightlifting Championships held in Monrovia, Calif. Methasterone and ostarine are substances in the class of Anabolic Agents and androstatrienedione is a substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators, all of which are prohibited under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing and the International Weightlifting Federation Anti-Doping Policy, both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code (“Code”) and the WADA Prohibited List.

Rybka’s period of ineligibility began on May 12, 2015, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. In addition, Rybka has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to April 11, 2015, the date the sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

Upon notification of his anti-doping rule violation, Rybka promptly accepted responsibility for his actions and explained to USADA that his positive test resulted from his use of “dietary supplements.” Although USADA determined that the nature of the “dietary supplements” Mr. Rybka was using rendered him ineligible for a reduction of his sanction based on his degree of fault, in accordance with article 10.6.3 of the Code, USADA petitioned WADA for a reduction of Mr. Rybka’s sanction based on his prompt admission of the anti-doping rule violation.

• This media release was originally published on the US Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) internet site on 18 August 2015. To access the original, please click here.

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