Why was Olympic pole vaulter Alysha Newman banned for 20 months?

Olympic pole vaulter Alysha Newman was banned for 20 months for missing three unannounced drug tests within a 12-month period.

The Violation

Alysha Newman received a 20-month ban from competition after being unavailable for three unannounced doping control sessions. Under anti-doping rules, three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period constitute a violation. Newman missed tests in February 2025 and twice more in August 2025. After the third incident, she told a sample collection official she had to leave immediately to participate in filming for a television game show.