Greek track sprinter banned for three years following 2016 Olympics retesting

Greek track sprinter Christos Volikákis has been banned from racing for three years after he tested positive for Ligandrol (LGD-4033), the UCI has announced.

The 37-year-old was provisionally suspended last March following re-analysis of doping controls taken at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Volikákis raced in the men's keirin in Rio, finishing 12th and last in the finals as Jason Kenny (Great Britain) took home gold ahead of Matthijs Büchli (Netherlands) and Azizulhasni Awang (Malaysia).

His positive sample was collected on the same day of the race, August 16, 2016, and was held in storage under WADA rules, which allow for samples to be retested using newly developed methods.

The retest of Volikákis' sample showed the presence of Ligandol, an experimental drug which falls under the Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) class of drugs, providing the same benefits as anabolic steroids without the side effects on reproductive organs.

"The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that the Greek rider Christos Volikákis has been sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of three years following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for the presence of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) of LGD-4033 metabolite," the UCI announced on Friday.

"In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code) and the UCI Anti-Doping Regulations (UCI ADR), the period of ineligibility started on 15 March 2024 and is effective until 14 March 2027."

Volikákis had previously competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, but didn't medal in either. He was knocked out in the repechage rounds in Beijing 2008, and finished ninth in the final in London 2012. He raced the omnium at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, finishing bottom of the standings.

He found more success elsewhere in his career, however, winning 17 national titles across various track disciplines between 2004 and 2011.

In 2008, he won a kierin bronze at the Track World Championships in Manchester, and he also picked up three silver and one bronze medal in various disciplines at the Track European Championships between 2011 and 2019.