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<\/p>\nThe case shows how cycling’s anti-doping strategy has evolved from finish-line controls to surprise testing and the retesting of stored samples.<\/p>\n
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A track cyclist accepted a ban after back-testing of nearly decade-old samples confirmed the presence of banned substances. (Photo: Justin Setterfield\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Published July 30, 2026 02:54AM<\/p>\n
Chinese track cyclist Junhong Lin, a four-time world championships medalist, has accepted a four-year ban after anti-doping<\/a> authorities retested samples collected nearly a decade ago, the International Testing Agency<\/a> \u00a0said Wednesday.<\/p>\n The doping<\/a> case dates back to urine samples collected during the UCI<\/a> Track World Cup in Hong Kong and the Asian Track Championships in Izu, Japan, in 2016.<\/p>\n The samples were stored and later reanalyzed as part of the UCI\u2019s long-term testing program, which allows old samples to undergo fresh testing using the latest detection methods.<\/p>\n She tested positive in two samples for the exogenous origin of adiols, an anabolic steroids banned at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency<\/a> code because of its muscle-building and performance-enhancing effects, the ITA said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lin, who won four medals in sprint events at the track world championships, did not contest the charges and accepted the sanctions.<\/p>\n Her suspension runs from October 7, 2025, through October 6, 2029.<\/p>\n The ruling also wipes out all of Lin\u2019s results from January 16, 2016, the date of the first positive sample, until the start of her provisional suspension in October 2025.<\/p>\n Latest bust in back-testing program<\/p>\n The case is the latest high-profile sanction to emerge from cycling\u2019s long-term sample storage program.<\/p>\n Under WADA rules, blood and urine samples can be kept for up to 10 years and retested as detection methods improve.<\/p>\n Some of cycling\u2019s biggest doping cases have emerged from retests. In 2008, Stefan Schumacher, Bernhard Kohl, and Leonardo Piepoli were banned after back-testing of Tour de France samples confirmed CERA positives. And retesting cost Davide Rebellin his silver medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.<\/p>\n This latest case comes after the Tour de France was marked by an unprecedented wave of overnight controls<\/a> by ITA, which runs anti-doping for the UCI.<\/p>\n Riders including Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Poga\u010dar, and Remco Evenepoel were subjected late-hour tests<\/a> as the ITA intensified its \u201canytime, anywhere\u201d strategy. Every rider was tested during a peloton-wide rest-day control<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n ITA officials said many of those Tour controls will be incorporated<\/a> into the biological passport program.<\/p>\n