Hamilton accepts 8-year ban

Former Rock Racing rider Tyler Hamilton has accepted an eight-year suspension from sport after a positive doping test earlier this year, his second violation since 2004Hamilton could have faced a lifetime ban due to his 2004 suspension for homologous blood doping, a violation first noted by anti-doping officials at that year’s Olympic Games.
Hamilton tested positive for testosterone or its precursors in February. He later acknowledged the positive test, declined to ask for further confirmation of the result and announced publicly that he had taken DHEA as self-medication for depression.Hamilton’s public admission may have contributed to a lesser penalty, but nevertheless the suspension ensures that he will never again compete at the top levels of the sport.
“In the sport of cycling, eight years' ineligibility for a 38-year old athlete is effectively a lifetime ban, and an assurance that he is penalized for what would have been the remainder of his competitive cycling career,” said U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart.

By Charles Pelkey
Published: Jun. 16, 2009