The five-year sanction imposed on him is invalidated

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Judge overturns Celestino Fernandez's doping sanction after proving urine sample was not his

Celestino Fernández, Spanish duathlon champion in 2022, has had his five-year doping sanction lifted by a judge after a DNA analysis showed that the urine sample in which oxandrolone was detected did not belong to him. The athlete, who has always defended his innocence, has revealed the news through his social networks, where he has thanked the support received during this process.

The incident began in February 2023, when Fernández was informed that he had tested positive in a control carried out during the cycling event of the Challenge de La Plana. Despite three requests for a DNA test, the Spanish Commission for the Fight against Doping in Sport (CELAD) denied the request, resulting in a five-year ban imposed in April 2024. However, the athlete, who also works as a police officer, decided to take his case to court.

In an administrative appeal filed in the Madrid courts, a judge ordered the DNA analysis to be carried out. The results, obtained in November 2024, revealed that the genetic profile of the urine sample did not match Fernández's, which led to the revocation of the sanction on 27 January 2025. The elite athlete has expressed his gratitude to all the people who have supported him during this process, underlining the difficult time he has lived through and the feeling of helplessness provoked by the Anti-Doping Agency.