Surinamese Outlet Reports Issam Asinga's B-Sample Positive

A Surinamese news outlet on Wednesday reported that Issam Asinga's B-sample from an out-of-competition test in July has proven to be positive, which could effectively end the Florida high schooler's historic season ahead of the World Championships this week in Budapest, Hungary. 

Key News spoke with Asinga's father, former Surinamese sprinter Tommy Asinga, who confirmed the news and claimed next steps would be taken, including hiring a lawyer to combat the allegations. 

Issam Asinga was reportedly on the track during a training when he was given the news, Tommy Asinga told the news outlet. 

The Athletics Integrity Unit has yet to officially report on the secondary sample. Asinga is still provisionally suspended pending his first allegation on Aug. 9. 

MileSplit reached out to Asinga's coach at Montverde Academy, Gerald Phiri, via text and Tommy Asinga on Instagram. Neither provided comment. 

Asinga, 18, was first notified by the AIU last week that he had tested positive for a prohibitive substance, specifically GW1516, a type of compound which effects how the body burns fat. In 2022, a Botswanan athlete, Nijel Amos, a 2021 Olympic silver medalist in the 800m, tested positive for the substance. 

Asinga is coming off a historic year as a high schooler. Before his positive result, he broke high school national records in the 100m and 200m with wind-legal times of 9.89 and 19.97 seconds, respectively. The first performance came at the South American Outdoor Championships, where he also set a World U20 record. 

Previously, Asinga won two indoor national titles at New Balance Nationals Indoor in the 60m and 200m. He tied the 60m national record and broke the 200m mark with a performance of 20.48 seconds. He was named Athlete of the Year for MileSplit over the indoor and outdoor seasons and was also recently named Gatorade's Player of the Year for his outdoor track and field campaign. 

He could face a ban of up to four years from the sport for the positive result. 

After news broke of the positive result on Aug. 11, Asinga responded to the allegations on Instagram on Aug. 12, relaying a number of tests had been given to him in the month of June and July. He says he was tested on June 11 after a performance of 10.02 seconds and 9.83w in the 100m the previous day. He then competed at the New York City Grand Prix on June 24. 

He says the AIU's first sample in question came from an out-of-competition test on July 18, then he competed at the South American Outdoor Championships on July 28,  claiming two titles in the 100m and 200m and registering a World U20 record in the 100m. He says a laboratory in Brazil recorded a sample and analyzed it, which came back negative. 

Asinga said the amount found in his original sample was "0.2 nanograms per ml" and he commented that all of his supplements are "batch tested for WADA banned substances." 

Tommy Asinga told Key News that the family's next steps are clarifying how the compound was found to be in Asinga's sample. "We believe it may have been cross contamination from his legal sports drinks or vitamins," Asinga told the newspaper in Dutch, which FloTrack later Google translated. 

Tommy Asinga said his son could now face the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Tommy Asinga competed for Suriname in the 1998 Olympic Games in Seoul, the '92 Games in Barcelona and the '96 Games in Atlanta. His wife, Ngozi Mwanamwambwa Asinga was a seven-time NCAA Division III All-American and featured in two Olympic Games for Zambia. 

Issam Asinga attended Principia High in Missouri before transferring to Montverde Academy in 2022. He is a signee of Texas A&M University.