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≡ MAJOR DOPING BAN ≡
Marvin Bracy-Williams was a 2016 U.S. Olympian in the 100 m, ran a lifetime best of 9.85 in 2021 and in 2022 won the World Championships men’s silver in the 100 m in 9.88.
He ran 9.93 in 2023, no. 20 on the world list for the year and then disappeared from the sport due to a provisional suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Now we know the rest of the story.
On Monday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced that Bracy-Williams, now 31, has accepted a 45-month suspension:
● “After receiving credible information from a whistleblower in early 2024, USADA immediately opened an investigation which included collecting a targeted out-of-competition urine sample from Bracy-Williams. As a result of that test, Bracy-Williams tested positive for an anabolic agent and was immediately provisionally suspended by USADA on February 5, 2024.”
● “During the investigation – which USADA conducted with Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Orlando District Office, Miami Field Division – it was discovered that Bracy-Williams had initially attempted to tamper with the investigation.
“Soon after his attempted tampering, Bracy-Williams admitted his violations and provided substantial assistance. The positive test and attempted tampering are treated as a single violation under the World Anti-Doping Code because the tampering occurred in connection with Bracy-Williams’ use of testosterone.”
● “Under Article 10.8.1 of the [World Anti-Doping] Code, an athlete who faces an anti-doping rule violation that carries a period of ineligibility of four or more years, like Bracy-Williams did, may receive a one-year sanction reduction if the athlete admits the violation and accepts the asserted sanction within 20 days of notification of the alleged anti-doping rule violation charge. Per the rule, Bracy-Williams qualified for a one-year reduction to the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility.”
● “In addition to the one-year reduction for his admission of his violations, USADA granted Bracy-Williams a significant reduction of his sanction for providing important substantial assistance to the investigation. This resulted in a 21-month period of ineligibility for Bracy-Williams’s violations for his testosterone use and for his attempted tampering.”
But it got worse:
● “While the investigation was pending, Bracy-Williams committed a further anti-doping rule violation by accruing his third Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period while included in USADA’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP).
“The Whereabouts Failures occurred on August 10, 2023, October 4, 2023, and June 4, 2024. The period of ineligibility for a Whereabouts rule violation is 12-24 months but is subject to an increased range in this case because it constitutes Bracy-Williams’s second violation. USADA determined that a 24-month period of ineligibility for the Whereabouts rule violation was appropriate based on the circumstances of the case.”
So, Bracy-Williams received 21 months for the testosterone-and-tampering violation and 24 months for the “whereabouts” failure for a 45-month total. His suspension runs from 5 February 2024, meaning he won’t be eligible until November of 2027, when he will be 33.
USADA chief Travis Tygart indicated that Bracy-Williams was part of a larger doping scheme, in which his assistance was valuable:
“This case is also an example of the importance of cooperation between like-minded-organizations and law enforcement agencies when it comes to eradicating organized doping schemes.
“When the rules are applied as they should be, we can hold people accountable while also pursuing additional anti-doping rule violations and criminal charges. This investigation has already resulted in several impactful outcomes which will be announced at a later date, as the overall investigation continues.”
¶
The U.S. went 1-2-3 in the men’s 100 m at the 2022 Worlds with Fred Kerley (9.86) leading Bracy-Williams (9.88) and Trayvon Bromell (9.88). The top two have been in trouble ever since.
While Bracy-Williams has had his results from 1 June 2023 nullified, Kerley did not make it out of the semis at the 2023 Worlds 100 m, made an astonishing comeback after considerable chaos in his track and personal lives to win a Paris Olympic bronze (9.81) and then had more trouble with police in January 2025, ran in one Grand Slam Track meet and was then suspended due to his arrest.
In August, he was provisionally suspended for “whereabouts” failures by the Athletics Integrity Agency, which he has denied. In September, he signed with the doping-friendly Enhanced Games, to be held in May 2026.
Bromell, on the other hand, has been an inspiration. He was injured in 2024, but roared back in 2025, finishing fourth at the USATF Nationals and made the relay team for the World Championships in Tokyo, running third leg in the heats, with the Americans winning the final with a different line-up (with Bromell receiving a gold medal). At 30 and having run 9.84 this year, he remains a contender.
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