A five-year anti-doping violation ban can end most careers. However, as Justin Gatlin and Shelby Houlihan proved, it is possible to return and find success again. Even then, for an athlete turning 29, a five-year ban is usually the end of the line. Then, in April, Brianna Rollins-McNeal finally laced back up. And in her first 100m hurdles race since 2019, she ran as if her ban never even happened.

The 34-year-old ran her first 100m hurdles race since 2019 and turned in one of her best performances in a long time. The American clocked 12.93 seconds to finish fifth, well off the winner Cyrena Samba-Mayela (12.50). Yania Ndjip finished second with 12.85, Gabriele Cunningham finished third with 12.85 in a photo finish with Evonne Britton in fourth with 12.86.

It marked one of the closest races at the ATX Classic. Even if Samba-Mayela soared away with the victory, the focus wasn’t on her. It was solely on former Olympic gold medalist Brianna Rollins-McNeal. The 34-year-old was running her first race since the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) banned her for five years in 2021.

It meant that the reigning Olympic 100m hurdles champion missed the 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics. According to the AIU’s official statement at the time, Rollins-McNeal was banned for “tampering within the results management process”. In an interview with the New York Times, the Olympian revealed that she tampered with the dates of her doctor’s visits.

The interview revealed that she had undergone an abortion, and the then 29-year-old was in bed, resting. She was unable to open the door to the anti-doping officers who had come to conduct their tests. 

When asked why she missed the test, Rollins-McNeal requested a doctor’s note. That’s when she realized the doctor had entered the wrong date, and corrected it herself. She did that twice, and investigators for the AIU noticed the change and suspended her.

“I tried to keep the abortion private, but they just kept tugging and tugging at me, wanting more information,” McNeal told the New York Times in 2022. “I couldn’t believe that I was charged with a violation because I had the dates mixed up by just 24 hours. It’s not like the procedure didn’t happen.”

The ban could have been as bad as eight years, especially after the 34-year-old’s previous suspension for whereabouts failures. The 2021 ban on Rollins-McNeal came when she was the fourth fastest woman of all-time in the 100m hurdles with 12.26.

She was one of the favourites to break Kendra Harrison’s record of 12.20 and retain her Olympic gold. Now, Harrison’s time has been shattered by Tobi Amusan (12.12), marking a massive change in the discipline. However, Rollins-McNeal can take comfort in the fact that, despite her age, other athletes have made similar comebacks before. 

Brianna Rollins-McNeal follows familiar comeback route

As Brianna Rollins-McNeal proved, it is possible to return from a long absence and make a comeback. The 34-year-old recently clocked her best time in the 100m hurdles since 2019, two years before she was banned.

Justin Gatlin was one of the first to showcase a comeback like that. Unlike Rollins-McNeal, the Olympian tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended for 4 years in 2006.

He used that time to improve and reinvent himself. Then, he made a slow return before flying in 2012, winning his first medal since the ban. The American clocked 6.46 seconds at the World Indoors Championships to take the gold away from Nesta Carter, finishing 0.08 seconds ahead. It marked a remarkable return to the fold from the sprinter, and a few months later, he finished third to win bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, behind only Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.

Sun Yang is another example; authorities banned the Chinese international for 4 years (2020 to 2024) following an anti-doping violation. Much like Gatlin, Yang returned to competition as soon as he was able and won the National Summer Swimming Championships. The then-32-year-old won the 400m freestyle title, albeit well off his personal best. Even then, he saw it as a positive, hoping to do better.

Much like Brianna Rollins-McNeal, Shelby Houlihan recently made her comeback after a four-year ban (2021-2025). Like Yang, she immediately won her first medal. The 1500m American record holder won a silver medal at the 2025 World Indoor Championships, albeit in the 3000m. It marked a remarkable return to competition and will offer Rollins-McNeal something to take inspiration from.