British triathlete Imogen Simmonds has been cleared to return to competition after the International Testing Agency (ITA) ruled she bore no fault or negligence for a positive doping test caused by 'sexual contamination'. The 32-year-old tested positive for ligandrol, a banned muscle-building substance, in an out-of-competition test on 8 December 2024.
Simmonds, who has not competed since December, was initially suspended in February 2025. However, an investigation established that the substance entered her system through intimate contact with her partner, who was unknowingly using supplements containing ligandrol. The ITA confirmed that no period of ineligibility would be imposed and that Simmonds is free to compete immediately.
In a social media post, Simmonds expressed 'indescribable amounts of relief' at the verdict, describing the ordeal as causing 'a huge amount of pain and turmoil'. She added: 'The loss of identity I felt and the evaporation of my dignity has caused me a huge amount of pain and turmoil. Proving my innocence has been what has kept me going.'
The ITA stated that because the sample was collected out of competition, no competitive results are to be disqualified. The case can still be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Simmonds, who has 10 career wins and was ranked seventh in the PTO World Rankings in 2024, has since dropped to 124th. Her last outing was a fourth-place finish at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand on 14 December 2024.
