Posted: January 3, 2005

Drugs in Sport: U.S. Track Athlete Accepts Two-Year Suspension

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced today that Mickey Grimes of Hawthorne, Calif., an athlete in the sport of track and field, has accepted a two-year suspension after his sample collected on May 25, 2004, as part of International Association of Athletics Federations (“IAAF”) Out-of-Competition Testing Program, tested positive for the prohibited substance Norandrosterone.

Norandrosterone is classified as an anabolic agent under the rules of the IAAF, the international track and field federation, and the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.

Grimes, 28, accepted the minimum two-year suspension from all sanctioned competitions in accordance with IAAF rules. He committed a previous doping violation and received a public warning after testing positive for ephedrine at the Pan American Games in 2003. His two-year suspension was effective as of December 16, 2004, the date he accepted the sanction. After receiving credit for time served for his provisional suspension, Grimes’ two-year suspension will end on July 18, 2006.

USA Track and Field, the national governing body for the sport in the United States, will carry out the sanction.

USADA is responsible for managing the testing and adjudication process for U.S. Olympic, Pan Am and Paralympic athletes. USADA is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.