Ryan Bailey‘s bid to become the 11th U.S. athlete to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics is over.
Bailey’s ban for testing positive for a banned stimulant on Jan. 10 has been increased from six months to two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Bailey is now banned until 2019 after a successful appeal by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
“I was disappointed to hear that Ryan Bailey was given an additional 18 months to serve on his suspension,” U.S. Bobsled CEO Darrin Steele said in a statement. “He was very honest about the situation and admitted that he didn’t take the proper steps to ensure that the supplement he was given was free of any banned stimulants. He’s a good kid, and he’s overcome a lot of obstacles to be here, but when you make mistakes you have to pay a price. He’s got the potential to be one of the best push athletes we’ve ever seen, and I hope we see him back in the future.”
The 28-year-old originally received a six-month ban from the American Arbitration Association that ended in July.
Bailey, who was fourth in the 2012 Olympic 100m, tested positive for a banned stimulant on Jan. 10 at a bobsled race in his first season on the ice.
Bailey said the failed test was caused by taking a high-risk dietary supplement that did contain a banned stimulant, but not the one for which he tested positive.
The standard ban for Bailey’s infraction is two years, but it was reduced following a July 25 hearing “based on his light degree of fault.”
Bailey raced in five of the six World Cup events so far this season, including taking a two-man silver medal in his first race.
He raced in a lower-level event Thursday, during which he was subbed out between the first and second run. That’s likely when he learned of the suspension.
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