Issam Asinga — the youngest to break 10 seconds in the 100-metre sprint — has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for apparent doping.

The native of Suriname is provisionally suspended for the use or presence of GW1516, an experimental drug that may modify the body’s metabolism. It is deemed too dangerous for human use.

The drug was developed to build endurance and burn fat. It is linked to possibly causing cancer in mice. Anti-doping organizations have warned athletes not to use it on safety grounds.

The drug was previously found in samples given by professional cyclists and Olympic track and field athletes.

Asinga runs for Montverde Academy. He broke the World U20 record in the 100m and set a high school national record in the 200m. He was allegedly found to have used the prohibited substance via a recent drug test.

The 18-year-old was set to represent Suriname in the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships. Having won a South American outdoor title in the 100m in a wind-legal 9.89 seconds. Asinga was given a notice of the AIU’s allegations on August 9.

Under World Athletics, a provisional suspension is “mandatory … following an adverse analytical finding for any non-specified substance on the Prohibited List.”

According to the AIU, provisional suspensions are made not as an “early determination of guilt,” but as a way to protect and safeguard the interests of the sport.

Asinga will be unable to compete for Suriname in Budapest.

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