U.S. Taekwondo Athlete Talina Le Accepts Sanction for Anti-Doping Rule Violation
Colorado Springs, Colo.: USADA announced today that Talina Le, of Miami, Fla., an athlete in the sport of Taekwondo, has accepted an 18-month sanction after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Le, 26, tested positive for higenamine as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample she provided on March 27, 2019. Higenamine is a Specified Substance in the class of Beta-2 Agonists and is prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the World Taekwondo Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
Following an investigation into the circumstances of Le’s case, USADA concluded that her positive test was caused by her use of a dietary supplement that listed a prohibited substance on the label. The product has since been added to the High Risk List maintained on USADA’s online dietary supplement safety education and awareness resource – Supplement 411 (www.Supplement411.org). Athletes and other sport stakeholders are reminded that dietary supplements sold in the U.S. do not receive any pre-market safety or efficacy reviews by government authorities, and thus, an increased level of due diligence is necessary to challenge the reasons for use and understand the risks of a positive anti-doping test and/or an adverse health event.
USADA determined that a reduced sanction was appropriate due to Le’s forthright declaration of the supplement on her doping control form and cooperation throughout the results management process. Le’s 18-month period of ineligibility began on March 27, 2019, the date her positive sample was collected. In addition, Le has been disqualified from competitive results obtained on and subsequent to March 27, 2019, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
