UCI sentenced a Colombian track star to a 18-month suspension after repeated anti-doping rule violations
Track CyclingSaturday, 07 February 2026 at 09:00
There's many ways to get in troubles with UCI's anti-doping bodies, and one of them is to miss the out-of-competition doping checks entirely. The 30-year-old Colombian star Martha Bayona learned the hard way as UCI issued an 18-month ban for the track sprinter with World Championship medals under her belt for missing three such testings over the last year.
"The Tribunal found the rider guilty of an anti-doping rule violation due to three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period and imposed an 18-month period of ineligibility on the rider," read a statement from the UCI.
Bayona competed on road in the early years of her career, but later fully switched to track where she enjoyed success in sprint disciplines as a two-time a silver medallist in the keirin at the World Championships, in Hong Kong in 2017 and in Glasgow in 2023.
She won gold in both the keirin and the 500m time trial at the Pan American Championships in 2024. She's also a winner of multiple World Cup races across track disciplines at her home velodrome in Cali where she went unbeaten (4 out of 4) in 2021 for example.
The 30-year-old issued a statement on social media on Thursday in which she accepted the sanction but denied any deliberate wrongdoing:
"I want to address the public to clarify my situation and share, with complete honesty, what I'm going through right now.
"Recently, the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal issued a decision in the disciplinary proceedings I'm facing for whereabouts violations. I respect the Tribunal's decision, although it hasn't been an easy road, either professionally or personally.
"I want to make something very clear: it was never my intention to evade controls, much less to cheat. Throughout this entire process, the UCI itself acknowledged that "under no circumstances does it consider that I attempted to evade tests, nor does it question my efforts or commitment to the anti-doping rules." For me, it's crucial to clarify this publicly. I have always championed clean sport and cooperated with the anti-doping system. The events that led to this sanction were human errors, committed during a particularly difficult period in my life, and I accept them responsibly and with my head held high.
"During this period, I have experienced one of the most difficult years of my life: the provisional suspension, the inability to compete, loneliness, a lack of institutional support, and a heavy emotional burden. Added to this was the death of my father, a profoundly painful blow that marked a turning point in my life.
"In the midst of this period, and taking advantage of the provisional suspension, I also decided to undergo surgery that I had been postponing for over two years, precisely because my priority had always been to compete and fulfill my sporting commitments. It was a decision made with my health, well-being, and responsibility to my body and my future as an athlete in mind.
"This process has reminded me that, beyond results and medals, athletes are people: we train to the limit, yes, but we are also vulnerable, we experience grief, mental difficulties, and moments of breakdown. Acknowledging this is not a weakness; it is an act of honesty.
"I will accept the consequences of this process with respect, learning, and strength. My commitment to clean sport remains unwavering, as does my motivation to return stronger, more aware, and more compassionate. Thank you to those who have stood by me, to those who understand that behind the uniform is a person, and to those who continue to believe in sport with values."
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