Reigning 100 metre Olympic champion Justin Gatlin has been suspended for four years for a doping violation, the Washington Post reported on its website.
According to the newspaper, Gatlin, 25, was informed on Monday of the decision handed down by three US arbitrators.
Gatlin tested positive for testosterone on April 22, 2006 and has spent the past 20 months fighting the charge.
The Washington Post reported that two of the three arbitrators decided on a four-year ban because of a previous positive test.
The usual penalty for a first offence is two years, while a second offence can result in a lifetime ban. Gatlin tested positive for a stimulant during his first major US competition while in college at Tennessee.
Gatlin, who won the 100 and 200 metres at the 2005 world championships, argued the previous offence should not be held against him because he took the medication for an attention deficit disorder.
Gatlin can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
John Collins, Gatlin's Chicago-based attorney, declined to comment, telling the Washington Post he wanted to read the opinion first.
Gatlin, who expected to compete in this year's Olympics in Beijing, further argued that he was possibly sabotaged by a massage therapist who rubbed the testosterone cream on his legs.
