Peter Bol (R) of Australia competes during the men's 800m heat at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
Australian track star Peter Bol, who was previously suspended for a positive doping test, will return to training and competition.
CANBERRA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Australian track star Peter Bol says he has been cleared of doping allegations while Sport Integrity Australia says that the investigation into the matter is not over.
In a statement on Tuesday, Bol, who finished fourth in the 800 meter final at the Tokyo Olympics, announced his doping suspension has been lifted after a B sample cleared him of taking a performance enhancing drug.
Athletics Australia in January suspended the 28-year-old indefinitely after a sample collected in October tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO), which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list.
Responding to the ban, Bol strongly denied ever taking performance enhancing substances and requested a B sample be analyzed.
On Tuesday he said the B sample did not match the original result, clearing the national 800m record holder to return to training and competition.
Peter Bol (2nd R) competes during the men's 800m heat at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Jia Yuchen)
"Last month I told everyone that I was innocent and asked that everyone in Australia believe me and let the process play out," Bol wrote in a statement posted on social media.
"My provisional suspension has been lifted by Sport Integrity Australia. The relief I am feeling is hard to describe."
Sport Integrity Australia said in a statement on Tuesday that the investigation remains ongoing.
"The results of the Part B Sample analysis is an Atypical Finding (ATF) for recombinant EPO," it said.
"An ATF is not the same as a negative test result. An ATF is a report from a WADA-accredited laboratory which requires further investigation as provided by the World Anti-Doping Code."
