Fred Curley: Former American 100-meter world champion was banned for two years

Curley won gold in the 100 meters at the 2022 World Championships, in addition to the men’s 4×100 meters titles in 2019 and 2023.

He also stood on the podium in the 100-meter dash at the previous two Olympics, winning a silver medal in Tokyo 2020 and a bronze medal in Paris 2024.

“Given this level of experience and having been a member of the testing group since 2017, the court said Curley should have exercised more caution,” an IU statement said.

“Unfortunately, complex doping substances may only be detectable in an athlete’s sample for a few days or even hours after ingestion,” said AI Unit Head Brett Clothier.

“Anti-doping organizations need to be able to test athletes without notice on the day and hour of our choosing, otherwise anti-doping programs will not work, and doping users will easily avoid detection. The rules of their whereabouts are therefore fundamental to the integrity of sport and must be respected.

“The International Integrity Unit will continue to strictly enforce venue requirements to protect the right of all athletes to fair competition.”

Curley, who last competed in the Grand Sprint Series in Norwalk, Calif., in July 2025, became the first track athlete and American man to compete in the controversial Improved Games in September.

He did not dispute his failure to locate him on 13 June – but blamed technical problems with the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) app for the missed test on 11 May, and the Doping Control Officer (DCO) for the missed tests on 6 and 7 December.

This decision can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).