South African race-walking star Lebogang Shange has failed a doping test for a steroid‚ the Athletics Integrity Unit has announced  today.

The 29-year-old‚ who ended fourth at the world championships two years ago‚ tested positive to trenbolone‚ a steroid used primarily in veterinary medicine, specifically to increase the profitability of livestock by promoting muscle growth and appetite. It is administered by injection into muscle.

The integrity unit‚ which falls under the sport’s world governing body‚ said on its website that a notice of allegation had been issued.

Shange’s positive test comes a few months after sprinter Carina Horn was caught for doping shortly before the world championships in Doha a few months ago.

Shange‚ who competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics‚ ended fourth in the men’s 20km walk at the 2017 world championships in London in a 1:19:18 SA record.

Shange‚ who competed out of Europe at the height of his career‚ is is also a former African and All-Africa Games champion. 

During the last season he had only competed in the two stages of the Race walking Challenge, in Lazaro Cardenas (MEX) on 20.4.2019 and in La Coruna (ESP) on 8.6.2019, in addition to the Indoor Meeting in Samorin (CZE).

His results had not been satisfactory and in line with the previous ones, in particular with London's personal best of 1:19:18. Lazaro Cardenas (MEX) had finished 7th in 1:25:16, while in La Coruna his mark was decidedly a lacklustre performance (53rd in 1:24:00)