Colorado Springs, Colo. (October 6, 2016) – USADA announced today that Tom Danielson, of Longmont, Colo., an athlete in the sport of cycling, has tested positive for a prohibited substance and accepted a four-year sanction for his second anti-doping rule violation.
Danielson, 38, tested positive as a result of an out-of-competition urine sample he provided on July 9, 2015, for the presence of an exogenous Androgenic Anabolic Steroid (AAS) and/or its metabolites, which was confirmed by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) analysis. Every urine sample that USADA collects is scrutinized under an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) program that examines levels of multiple steroid biomarkers of doping. Specific samples that exhibit atypical qualities are then targeted for more sophisticated IRMS analyses, which can reveal the presence of synthetic AAS use.
Anabolic Agents are prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the International Cycling Union Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
Danielson’s four-year period of ineligibility began on August 3, 2015, the date he accepted a provisional suspension. In addition, Danielson has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to July 9, 2015, the date his positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes. Prior to this anti-doping rule violation, Danielson accepted a six-month sanction and loss of results in 2012 for his involvement in the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team doping conspiracy.
