Olympic medallist Tsegay receives four-month doping suspension

Former world champion Gudaf Tsegay has been handed a four-month suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after admitting to the presence of a prohibited substance in an out-of-competition test. The 29-year-old Ethiopian, a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and a multiple world champion, tested positive for a metabolite of Letrozole in December 2025.

Letrozole, listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as an aromatase inhibitor, is used medically to treat certain conditions, including breast cancer, by lowering estrogen levels. According to the AIU, Tsegay promptly explained the positive finding in January, providing medical documentation that she had been prescribed Letrozole for a diagnosed medical condition. World Athletics later determined her treatment met the international standards for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

However, WADA rejected her request for a retroactive TUE, leading to an anti-doping rule violation. Tsegay entered into a case resolution agreement with WADA and the AIU. The AIU deemed a four-month suspension appropriate, citing Tsegay's degree of fault, her prompt admission, and the fact that the substance's use aligned with TUE standards. Her ban is backdated to June 1 and will conclude on September 30, sidelining one of Ethiopia's most accomplished distance runners.

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A four-month suspension was “considered appropriate” under rules relating to no significant fault or negligence by an athlete. The body added that the sanction reflected “the athlete’s degree of fault, her prompt admission of the violation, the fact that the presence of Letrozole met WADA’s international standards on TUEs and the recognition she would have been granted a TUE if it had been requested in advance.”