Track's brightest youngster in the men's 100m, Issam Asinga tested positive for a prohibited substance and has been suspended by the AIU. He has officially released a statement on the issue.
Teenage sprints sensation Issam Asinga has released a statement following his provisional suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
The 18-year-old was provisionally suspended for the presence/use of a prohibited substance (GW1516), an experimental drug that can modify the body’s metabolism but has been considered too dangerous for human use. GW1516 was developed to help build endurance and burn fat but was found to cause cancer during tests on rodents.
Asinga will later respond to this in a social media post, saying all his supplements are tested for banned substances and that he would never intentionally let down those who look up to him.
In his statement, he also said that he tested negative in separate tests on June 11 and July 28, surrounding his positive test from July 18, but he will continue to comply with the process to learn what happened.
The Suriname youngster last month became the youngest man to break 10 seconds in the 100m after clocking 9.89s on July 28 to win the South American Championships in Brazil.
By doing this, Asinga broke the world U20 record of 9.91s set by Botswana's Letsile Tebogo in 2022. While in the 200m, he has a lifetime best of 19.97s is his country's National Record.