Dayana Yastremska’s appeal against a provisional doping suspension rejected ahead of the Australian Open 2021


Dayana Yastremska’s appeal against a provisional doping suspension rejected ahead of the Australian Open 2021
Dayana Yastremska

Dayana Yastremska, ranked 29th in the world is almost certain to miss the Australian Open 2021 after her appeal against a provisional doping suspension was rejected. However, the Ukrainian sparked some controversy after she was spotted on a chartered flight to Australia in hope that her ban would be lifted.

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Yastremska tested positive to a banned substance in an out-of-competition sample. The ITF released a statement on Sunday saying that the 20 year old’s application to lift the ban was rejected. However, the decision is subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by Yastremska, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Ukraine’s anti-doping agency.

Yastremska was in Melbourne quarantine hoping for a ban reversal

Yastremska will miss the Australian Open 2021

Yastremska was quarantining in Melbourne in hope that her ban would be uplifted. However, as things stand she has to fly out from the country after completing her 14-day quarantine and will not be allowed to compete at the Australian Open 2021. A WADA lab in Montreal had found the presence of mesterolone metabolite, an anabolic agent on its prohibited list in the sample.

She has denied using any substance and has stated that the result was because of a contamination event. “I’m astonished and under shock, particularly given that two weeks prior to this test … I tested negative at the WTA event in Linz,” Yastremska said in a statement earlier this month.

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After this last tournament of the year, I stopped practising to rest prior to the start of the new season. Only a very low concentration of mesterolone metabolite was detected in my urine. Given that low concentration and given my negative test two weeks earlier, I have received scientific advice that the result is consistent with some form of contamination event,” she said in her statement.

Also Read: Kiki Bertens, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys among top stars missing at Australian Open 2021