Tyson Gay gets one-year ban for testing positive; hands back Olympic silver

Sprinter Tyson Gay accepted a one-year suspension after testing positive for a banned substance nearly a year ago and returned the silver medal he won in the men's 4x400-metre relay at the 2012 London Olympics.

The US Anti-Doping Agency announced that Gay's one-year ban began on June 23, the day his sample was collected at the US championships. His sanction is subject to appeal by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) and by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

As part of the penalty, Gay, the American record-holder in the 100, also accepted loss of results dating to July 15, 2012, the date of when he first used a product that contained a banned substance. He was a member of the relay team at the London Games that finished second to a Jamaican team anchored by Usain Bolt. The Americans set a national record with a time of 37.04 seconds. Gay has given his medal back to the United States Olympic Committee.

Usada said in a statement that upon receiving notification of his positive tests, Gay voluntarily withdrew from all competition prior to the 2013 world championships in Moscow and has not competed since.

The 31-year-old Gay could've been given a penalty twice as long, but received consideration after assisting Usada in the investigation into his positive test. Usada said he tested positive for the presence of an exogenous androgenic anabolic steroid.

"We appreciate Tyson doing the right thing by immediately withdrawing from competition once he was notified, accepting responsibility for his decisions, and fully and truthfully cooperating with us in our ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding his case," Usada CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement.

Gay was at the top of his game at the 2007 world championships in Osaka, Japan, capturing gold in the 100, 200 and 400 relay. That was just before the emergence of Bolt, who's dominated the sprint scene ever since.