USADA announced today that Tiffany Craven, of Fitchburg, Mass., an athlete in the sport of weightlifting, has tested positive for a prohibited substance, which she was determined to have ingested without fault or negligence. As a result, Craven will not face a period of ineligibility for her positive test.
“We are sad to see yet another non-cheating athlete subject to a doping violation when we know that this athlete received no performance benefit,” said Travis T. Tygart, USADA CEO. “Since 2018, we have been calling for reforms to make the system fairer for athletes given the increases in the sensitivity of laboratory detection, and these calls are more important than ever now that we know the rules around contamination cases are not evenly enforced on others.”
Craven, 30, tested positive for ibutamoren as the result of an in-competition urine sample collected June 27, 2025 at the USA Weightlifting National Championships. Ibutamoren is a non–Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics and is prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policy, and the International Weightlifting Federation Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
In its extensive investigation into the circumstances of the case, USADA determined that Craven’s partner was regularly using high oral doses of ibutamoren without her knowledge, which had been purchased on the black market online. USADA concluded that the low concentration of ibutamoren in Craven’s sample was consistent with repetitive exposure via intimate contact with her partner over multiple weeks preceding her positive test. The partner is not an athlete under USADA’s jurisdiction but was taking ibutamoren to self-treat an injury. USADA reminds athletes that in addition to being a prohibited substance, ibutamoren is an investigational drug not approved for any human use and carries significant health risks.
Craven will not face a period of ineligibility, but the rules require the disqualification of all competitive results Craven obtained on June 27, 2025, the date her positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
In an effort to aid athletes, as well as support team members such as parents, coaches, and medical professionals in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to file and update athlete Whereabouts, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements, as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs.
In addition, USADA manages a drug reference hotline, Global Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as a supplement guide, a nutrition guide, a clean sport handbook, and periodic alerts and advisories.
USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by text at 87232 (“USADA”), by email at playclean@USADA.org, by phone at 1-877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253) or by mail.
USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.
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