Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay Receives Four-Month Ban Following Positive Doping Test
Ethiopian middle- and long-distance star Gudaf Tsegay has been handed a four-month suspension after testing positive for a metabolite of Letrozole, a prohibited substance, during an out-of-competition doping control conducted on 5 December 2025.
Following notification of the positive result in January 2026, Tsegay explained that she had been prescribed Letrozole by medical professionals to treat a diagnosed health condition. She subsequently provided medical records and supporting documentation to demonstrate that the medication had been used for legitimate therapeutic purposes.
Tsegay later applied for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), which allows athletes to use otherwise prohibited substances when medically necessary. The World Athletics Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee reviewed her case and concluded that her treatment met the criteria required for a TUE. However, a request for the exemption to be granted retroactively was ultimately denied by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
As a result, Tsegay entered into a Case Resolution Agreement with both the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and WADA. Under the agreement, she accepted responsibility for anti-doping rule violations relating to the presence and use of a prohibited substance.
The four-month sanction was considered appropriate due to several mitigating factors, including her prompt admission of the violation, the finding that she bore no significant fault or negligence, and the determination that she likely would have been granted a TUE had the application been submitted before using the medication.
Tsegay’s period of ineligibility will run from 1 June 2026 to 30 September 2026, during which time she will be unable to compete in sanctioned athletics competitions. She will be eligible to return to competition once the suspension concludes.