US hammer ace Berry slapped with drugs ban
American hammer thrower Gwendolyn Berry, a two-time Olympian and a Pan Am Games gold medallist, has been given a 16-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said on Wednesday. It is the second doping ban within a 10-year period for Berry, who was a member of the 2016 and 2020 US Olympic teams. Berry’s violation resulted from her use of a topical medication containing the diuretic and masking agent spironolactone for which she had a prescription. However, Berry failed to obtain a Therapeutic Use Exemption for the medication. Berry's 16-month ban was backdated to April 28, the date her provisional suspension was imposed, ruling her out of this month's World Athletics Championships in Budapest. The 34-year-old hammer thrower was also in the spotlight at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima where she won the gold medal and raised her fist on the podium as the US national anthem played, to bring attention to social issues back home. (Reuters)