Katie Compton has accepted a four-year suspension after testing positive for anabolic agents in an out-of-competition test on September 16, 2020, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Wednesday.

Compton's four-year suspension began on September 16, 2020, when the positive sample was collected.

The 42-year-old, who had planned to retire after the UCI Cyclocross World Championships scheduled for January 29-30, 2022 in Arkansas, said she was incredibly sad to end her career this way.

"This news comes with great heartache and sadness and is the worst way to end my cycling career," Compton said in a statement.

"I have always been a clean athlete, especially after dealing with many health issues throughout my life, and I am proud to have raced clean and taken great care of everything I put into my body.

According to the USADA statement, Compton's urine sample was analyzed using a special test known as a carbon isotope ratio test, which distinguishes between anabolic-androgenic steroids naturally produced by the body and prohibited anabolic agents of external origin.

"Samples provided to USADA in September 2020 were negative for any banned substances and were not even atypical. The news was relayed to me in the same manner as always via a letter from USADA. I have received the same letter after every test for the past 19 years," Compton said.

"In early February of 2021, after returning from a difficult racing season, I learned that the same sample from September had been reanalyzed due to a flaw in the BioPassport and tested positive for exogenous anabolic steroids.

"This was devastating news to me because I had never intentionally or knowingly put anything like that in my body. I know how delicate female hormones are and would never choose to ingest something that would put my health at risk and thus irreparably damage my endocrine system. Not only that, but I would never ingest anything for ethical or moral reasons. I have always been a strong proponent of clean sport and feel that doing anything to enhance my own natural abilities is completely dishonest."

The coronavirus pandemic has restricted Compton's racing schedule since her positive test, and she has lost three local races, four wins at the US Open of Cyclocross, and all of her European results and placings for the 2020-2021 season. She has lost.

"Despite my decision to retire in March, I also felt the need to try to protect myself and my reputation. I hired a lawyer and did everything in my power to investigate how the substance entered my system, but I never found the answers," Compton said.

"Over the past six months, I have learned that I cannot prove that I did not intentionally ingest anything and that I cannot afford to continue to fight knowing that the results will be the same no matter what. Unfortunately, with five months between sample collection and notification, I found it impossible to try to figure out what had allegedly entered my body and decided to stop the expensive and difficult fight and accept the sanction."

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The 15-time national champion and the most successful cyclocross racer in American history was outspoken against doping. She was critical of fellow cross racer Denise Betsema's six-month ban and questioned asthmatic Chris Froome's salbutamol case.

Like other athletes featured in the recent documentary Doping Top Secret: GUILTY (opens in new tab) by Hajo Seppelt and the ARD Doping editorial team, Compton has been a vocal critic of the high burden imposed on athletes to prove their innocence. exposed the high burden placed on them and forced them to end their careers rather than continue to fight the judgment.

"It is with great stress and sadness that I have come to the end of my athletic career. My friends and family know how much I am against doping and that it is a topic I have always spoken out about. This news is heartbreaking for me and the worst time I have ever experienced in my life. Over the past year I have sorted through all my emotions and realized that I no longer need bike racing in my life. I still love to ride my bike and enjoy it with my friends, but I have no desire to race or be a competitor ever again.

"I wanted to share this news before USADA made it public. It is clear that I will be away from competitive cycling for the next few years, and while I don't know what my future in the sport will be after the sanctions, I want you to know that I will miss the racing community, especially all the wonderful people I have met along the way who simply shared my love of riding a bike.

"While I will always cherish the experiences and amazing adventures that cycling has given me, I also acknowledge that cycling has brought me much heartache and disappointment and I am emotionally and mentally exhausted. To end my career in this way is simply soul crushing. It hurts physically and makes me incredibly sad.

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