AIU Ban: America's next Usain Bolt banned for four years for positive doping test

Former sprint youth prodigy Erriyon Knighton dubbed America's next Usain Bolt, has been slammed with a four-year ban by the AIU after testing positive for a banned substance.

The 21-year-old American speedster tested positive for a metabolite of the steroid, trenbolone, blaming his positive test on contaminated meat.

In a statement released by the AIU, it was announced that the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) upheld two appeals by the AIU and the World Anti-Doping Agency against Knighton, following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV).

The AIU appealed against the First Instance Decision of an arbitral tribunal in the USA that found that Knighton had established No Fault or Negligence for his ADRV after testing positive for a metabolite of the steroid, trenbolone in March 2024. Knighton had blamed his positive test on eating contaminated meat.

“On 8 August 2024, World Athletics and WADA appealed to CAS against USADA and Erriyon Knighton to set aside the decision by the Arbitration Tribunal and to request that a 4-year ban be imposed on the Athlete.

Both appeals were registered with CAS as well as contamination cases and were consolidated into one procedure. A hearing was held on 23 and 24 June 2025 at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland where Mr Knighton explained the circumstances causing the Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF).

Despite noting no intention to cheat and considering the scientific evidence, the CAS panel determined the presence of epitrenbolone could not be justified without violation, and ruled that the standard 4-year sanction applies.

However, mitigating factors were considered to have caused the Athlete’s Adverse Analytical Finding. In consequence, the CAS decision registered by WA and WADA has upheld the 4-year period of ineligibility by the Athlete from 26 March 2024 until the start of this media release award date, which is only partially reduced. Mr Knighton is disqualified retroactively from 26 March 2024 to 12 April 2024.”

Knighton holds the U18 and U20 World Records in the men's 200m and has two World Championship medals in the event.

He is the 2022 World Championships 200m bronze medalist and 2023 World Championships silver medalist. Knighton’s ban starts September 12, 2025.