Imogen Simmonds, a prominent triathlon athlete, expressed immense relief after being cleared of a doping violation despite testing positive for a prohibited substance. The 32-year-old was temporarily suspended by the International Testing Agency (ITA) earlier this year following a positive test result for ligandrol.
The ITA defines ligandrol as a selective androgen receptor modulator that enhances muscle growth and physical performance, making it forbidden for use both in and out of competition. However, Simmonds has been granted permission to resume her competitive career after a thorough investigation concluded with a verdict of ‘no guilt or negligence’.
Taking to social media, Simmonds shared, “I am incredibly relieved to announce that the ITA has found me not guilty of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) stemming from an out-of-competition test in December 2024.” She explained that the presence of Ligandrol in her urine sample was due to inadvertent contamination through intimate contact with her partner, who unknowingly consumed supplements containing the banned substance.
The ITA released a statement confirming that Simmonds had demonstrated no fault or negligence in the ADRV case, leading to no period of ineligibility imposed on her, allowing her to compete immediately. As the sample was collected out-of-competition, there are no competitive results to invalidate, and the matter is considered closed from the perspective of IRONMAN and the ITA.
While the decision can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Simmonds is focusing on her return to triathlon competitions. With ten career victories to her credit, she ranked seventh in the PTO’s World standings in 2024 but has since dropped to 124th. Her most recent event was a fourth-place finish at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand on December 14 last year.
