U.S. Olympic track and field star Brianna Rollins was banned from competing for one year, the U.S. Anti-Doping agency announced Thursday, because she was unavailable for three drug tests, one of which occurred while she visited the White House to meet former President Barack Obama.
The track and field athlete, 25, received the 12-month ban, which lasts until Dec. 19, for neglecting to notify the doping agency of her location for out-of-competition, according to Reuters, which is considered a doping violation by the agency. In addition to the White House visit, on one other occasion, the Olympian attended a ‘Brianna Rollins Day’ event in her Florida hometown, Reuters reports. Rollins was available for eight out-of-competition drug tests in 2016, according to Reuters, and passed both the out-of-competition tests and competition tests that year.
Rollins, who won gold in the 100-meter hurdles at Rio 2016, will now miss competing at the World Championships in London this August. However, she will keep her Olympic gold medal as her results are only being annulled from the date of her third failed filing, which was in September.
Following the news of her ban, she posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, apologizing to “anyone that I may have let down” as well as her sponsor, Nike. “This is one of the most difficult times in my career, especially after having such a great 2016 season,” she wrote. “All I wanted to do was capitalize on that but God has other plans. I’m not sure what they may be but I’m sure there is a purpose.”
