IRONMAN recently announced that it has flagged three athletes for positive doping use in last years World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.
Pre-competition tests at the 2018 IRONMAN® World Championship triathlon concluded the following athletes testing positive for substances prohibited at all times under IRONMAN Anti-Doping
Rules consistent with the World Anti-Doping Code (WADA Code) and the World Anti-Doping Agency
Prohibited List. All results-management proceedings and sanctions applied under the jurisdiction of the
IRONMAN Anti-Doping Program is determined in accordance with the WADA Code and the IRONMAN
Anti-Doping Rules.
In each case, the athlete has accepted a four-year sanction for the anti-doping rule violation. Each athlete has also been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on or subsequent to the date of the test, including results from the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship triathlon. The athletes had been previously provisionally suspended and will remain ineligible to participate in any IRONMAN® or IRONMAN 70.3® competition or any other event organized by WADA Code Signatory for the four-year period of ineligibility.
The athletes are:
• Pablo Escalas (Argentina) – Escalas’s sample resulted in an Adverse Analytical Finding consistent
with the exogenous administration of multiple Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids which were confirmed by
Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) analysis. Escalas’ period of ineligibility began October 9,
2018, the date of his out-of-competition test.
• Flavia Rocha (Brazil) – Rocha’s sample resulted in an Adverse Analytical Finding consistent with the
exogenous administration of multiple Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids which were confirmed by IRMS
analysis. Rocha’s period of ineligibility began October 12, 2018, the date of her out-of-competition test.
• Eduardo Solis (Costa Rica) – Solis’s samples resulted in Adverse Analytical Findings for multiple
prohibited substances: Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (ESAs), including recombinant EPO’s and
analogues; a finding for Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator (CERA); and additional findings
consistent with the exogenous administration of multiple Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids which were
confirmed by IRMS analysis. Solis’s period of ineligibility began October 12, 2018, the date of his out-of-competition test.
“These results and sanctions illustrate the importance of IRONMAN’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our IRONMAN World Championship events at both the Professional and Age-Group levels,” said Kate Mittelstadt, Director of the IRONMAN Anti-Doping Program. “First, we ensure that all qualified athletes are aware of their rights and responsibilities under the anti-doping rules and our testing program. Second, we run a comprehensive in- and out-of-competition testing program, targeting athletes using intelligence and information to inform our testing strategies. Combining urine and blood collection with the Athlete Biological Passport and advanced analytical screens, including EPO and IRMS, ensures that the testing we do supports both the deterrence and detection of qualified athletes who are in violation of the anti-doping rules.”
To learn more about the IRONMAN Anti-Doping program, including the WADA Prohibited List and the risks associated with supplement use, visit www.ironman.com/triathlon/organizations/anti-doping.aspx.
