Athlete Caught Doping with Growth Hormone

British rugby player Terry Newton has the distinction of being the first athlete ever caught doping with growth hormone to boost muscle mass. He’s been banned from rugby competition for two years.

Until recently athletes had assumed that human growth hormone doping was undetectable, because the synthetic form of growth hormone looks exactly like natural growth hormone. But then scientists discovered that the body actually produces several different forms of the hormone, and that by examining the ratio of these different forms in blood they could tell if the pure synthetic form had been administered. Anti-doping agencies also began requiring random blood tests rather than just tests after athletic events, because the hormone disappears from the blood just days after administration. It was a random test that caught Mr. Newton.

The U.S. National Football League and Major League Baseball have shown interest in the test but so far it has not been instituted, in part because it requires a blood sample.