American Olympic runner Shelby Hoolihan, who played in the 2016 Rio Games and faced a four-year ban that was later heavily debated, returned to the podium on Saturday.
Houlihan won a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships at the 3,000-meter event in Nanjing, China. She was unable to compete in the Tokyo Olympics and the Parisio Games because she tested positive for a drug that would improve her performance. Houlihan claimed that the positive test was a result of contaminated pork burritos purchased from a Mexican food truck.
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US Shelby Hourihan will compete in the women's 3,000m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships held in Nanjing, China on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/dar yasin)
“It was a long journey,” she said. Let's do it. “I'm still excited today and now, but I'm a bit sad about the past. It was a really tough journey.”
Houlihan is a US record holder and former record holder for the 1,500 metres at the 5,000 metre event. Her appeal against her ban was moved to the sports court of arbitration, but was ultimately denied.
However, the incident resembled other “no-disability” cases where the elements had little or no penalty, which led to discussions in the world of sports and doping.
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He led Shelby Hourihan and Nikki Hiltz at the USATF Indoor Championships held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island, New York on February 22, 2025. (Kirby Lee-Imagn image)
Houlihan's punishment ultimately cost her a trip to Paris for the Olympics, and she now has to work twice as hard as she prepares for a potential emergence in Los Angeles in 2028.
“I'm used to trying to create a completely new normal,” Houlihan said. “Running has been a part of my life since I was five, so who's not with this? I didn't know.
The 32-year-old Iowa native said she hopes her success will lead to sponsorship. The world's outdoor championship is set for September.
“It was just that I said, 'I don't want to give up, so I always wonder what I could have done,'” she said. “And I feel like I still have more to prove, I feel like I haven't come yet for myself.
Shelby Hourihan will pose for the medal after winning the women's 3,000m at 8:52.03 at the USATF Indoor Championship held at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 14, 2020. (Kirby Lee-Usa Today Sports)
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Houlihan was eligible to compete again in January and returned to the track last month at Razorback Invitational in Arkansas. She won the indoor 3,000m race.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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