South African racer S'annara Grove has been provisionally suspended after returning an adverse analytical finding for synthetic peptide Ipamorelin, the International Testing Agency (ITA) has announced.
Grove was racing for British Continental team Smurfit Westrock at the Tour of Britain Women this week and was a non-starter on Friday's stage 3, with news of her positive test announced later in the day.
The ITA stated that 32-year-old Grove returned the positive test out of competition on July 28 while attending the Commonwealth Games for track competitions, held at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow. She competed for South Africa at the Games, taking 13th place in the scratch race and 16th in the points race.
"The ITA reports that a sample collected during an out-of-competition testing mission conducted by the Commonwealth Sport on 28 July 2026 from S’annara Grove, a rider from South Africa, has returned an AAF for ipamorelin. The test was carried out in the scope of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August 2026," the ITA stated.
"Ipamorelin is prohibited under the 2026 WADA Prohibited List as S2. Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics. It is prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) and is a non-specified substance. Ipamorelin is a synthetic peptide used to stimulate the body’s natural production of growth hormone.
"The rider has been informed of the case and, in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and Article 6.2.1 of the UCI Regulations for Results Management, a mandatory provisional suspension has been imposed on the rider. The rider has the right to challenge the provisional suspension and ask for its lifting."
The substance Groves tested positive for, Ipamorelin, is a selective growth hormone-releasing synthetic peptide which stimulates the pituitary gland. It mimics the peptide hormone ghrelin to stimulate growth hormone release.
Ipamorelin is currently a research peptide, the benefits of which haven't yet been demonstrated in controlled human studies. As such, it isn't approved for human consumption.
Unlike other substances, which have been commonly found in positive tests throughout cycling history, Grove's appears to be the first Ipamorelin positive at the professional level.
There has, however, been a history of Ipamorelin use in North American sports, with several baseball players (Andrew McKirahan, Nik Turley) and basketball players (Wilson Chandler, Jodie Meeks) receiving suspensions after testing positive.
In 2021, a 52-year-old masters racer from California received a four-year ban for the possession and use and/or attempted use of 10 separate substances, Ipamorelin included.
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