Shelby Houlihan, who is the US 1,500 meter and 5,000 meter record holder, tested positive for nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, on December 15, 2020. She was notified of the positive test on January 14, 2021, and appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration.
Houlihan was notified that the appeal was denied on June 11, 2021. The penalty is a four-year ban, meaning the runner will not be able to compete in the US Olympic trials or the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, where she was expected to be a medal contender.
Houlihan claims the positive test is the result of eating a pork burrito containing pork offal (entrails and internal organs) about 10 hours before the Dec. 2020 test. A Feb. 2015 study funded by WADA indicated that pork offal could cause a false positive for nandrolone.