The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced Wednesday that hammer thrower Gwen Berry will be shut out of next year’s Olympic Games after earning a 16-month doping penalty.
Berry, a vocal social justice advocate who has repeatedly protested from the platform in recent years, tested positive for the prohibited drug canrenone in a non-competition test in March.
According to USADA, the chemical, a metabolite of spironolactone classed as a masking agent, entered Berry’s system via a prescription-only topical medicine.
Berry, however, failed to obtain a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for the medicine, leaving her facing a ban, according to USADA. Berry has been banned for the second time in her career for an anti-doping violation. She was sent on leave for three months in 2016 after using banned asthma medication.
Her 16-month suspension began on April 28, 2023, according to USADA. The punishment means she will not be able to compete again until August 28, 2024, keeping her out of next year’s Olympics.
Berry, 34, made headlines in 2019 when she raised her fist after winning gold at the Pan American Games in Lima. She described the gesture as a protest against “injustice” in the United States.
Berry received a reprimand from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, along with a warning that if she did it again, she would face severe repercussions.
However, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, which sparked a global outpouring of protests against racial and social inequality, US authorities changed their attitude on podium protests.
Berry also demonstrated on the podium at the US Olympic trials in 2021, turning away from the American flag as the national anthem played after finishing third and earning a spot in the Tokyo Games.