China take dig at Team USA after athlete who failed doping test cleared to compete in Olympic 200m final

China has hit back at Team USA after an athlete who failed a doping test was cleared to compete in the Olympic 200m final.

On Thursday evening the Stade de France in Paris will play host to the final of the men's 200m event.

If the men's 100m final was anything to go by, then it should be a thrilling race. 100m gold medalist Noah Lyles will be joined on the track by the likes of reigning Olympic champion Andre de Grasse and USA teammates Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton.

As successful as the Paris Games have been, several incidents relating to doping and eligibility have threatened to overshadow the sporting action.

Knighton going for gold in the 200m is a prime example, as he failed a doping test in March this year.

The 20-year-old sprinter from Tampa, Florida, tested positive for trenbolone, an anabolic steroid commonly used on beef cattle in the U.S. to induce muscle growth.

However, in June the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) granted Knighton a no-fault violation, with an arbitrator ruling that Knighton's positive test was likely a result of eating contaminated meat.

China have lashed out at Team USA over that decision, days after the US criticised the participation of Chinese swimmers who failed drug tests in 2020.

It was recently revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned drug trimetazidine prior to the 2020 Games, held in Tokyo in 2021.

The World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) accepted China's explanation that food contamination resulted in the positive tests. 11 of those 23 swimmers are competing at the 2024 Games.

On Wednesday, 7 August 2024, Chinese state-rune media outlet Global Times called for closer scrutiny of U.S. athletes, including the release of sample concentrations and third-party tests.

The Chinese Anti-Doping Center (CHINADA) released a statement in which it accused the USADA of double standards, and complained that the USADA investigation into Knighton has not been verified by WADA.

Knighton won bronze in the 200m at the 2022 World Championships and silver a year later. In 2023 he won his first national title at the U.S. Track and Field Championships.