Eighteen months is a long time for a race to finally settle down. But that’s exactly how long it took for the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships drama to iron out. Adaejah Hodge had crossed first ahead of Torrie Lewis in the women’s 200m, but that track and field result has now been overturned as a doping ban has changed everything.

Torrie Lewis, has now received the World U20 Championships 200m gold medal after 18 months, as on March 16, 2026, the Athletics Integrity Unit announced that Adaejah Hodge, the original gold winner, had been serving a two year doping ban that began in August 2024.

Lewis reflected on regaining the medal on her Instagram, “Maybe a bit weird to post 1.5 years later but today I got the news that I was the 1st clean runner across the line in the 200m U20 championships in 2024. So after the DQ of the runner who tested positive, I can happily say I am the 2024 U20 200m world champ.”

The drama began when Adaejah Hodge, a Paris 2024 Olympian, tested positive for a banned metabolic modulator (GW501516) at the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2024, after providing a routine sample. On November 22, 2024, she was notified of the positive test and as per rules, she was provisionally suspended immediately. The case then moved forward under the Athletics Integrity Unit in line with rules set by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

But along with the suspension came another consequence. All of Hodge’s results between August 28 and November 22,  2024 were disqualified. That period included her performances at the World U20 Championships, which meant both her 200m gold and 100m silver were stripped from the record.

Thus, the gold now passes on to Torrie Lewis, who on that day in Lima in 2024, had run one of the fastest track and field races of her life. Her 22.88 placed her just 0.14 seconds behind Hodge. That’s a gap that once separated silver from gold, but now no longer does.

Meanwhile, after her suspension, Hodge sat down with investigators, accepted the violation, and maintained that the substance had been taken unknowingly. Thus, the case did not go to a full hearing. Instead, all parties reached a Case Resolution Agreement, a formal settlement that brought the matter to a close.

Under that agreement, the violation was classified as “non-intentional.” So, Hodge accepted a two-year ban. But the most notable part was that she even received a 7-month reduction, granted for providing “substantial assistance” and cooperation during the investigation.

So, the ban was backdated to August 28, 2024 and set to run until August 27, 2026. With the reduction applied, Hodge became eligible to compete in the track and field again on January 28, 2026.

With the ban completed, the track and field results have now been officially updated. Not only has Lewis been upgraded to gold, but Shanoya Douglas moves into silver and Jessica Milat takes bronze.

On paper, this is just a change in the record. But for Lewis, it might feel like something she needed after the 2025 heartbreak.

Lewis finally gets a much-needed boost in the track and field

The past track and field year had been tough for Torrie Lewis. At the 2025 World Athletics Championships, she came heartbreakingly close to making the 100m final. She ran well in the heats, breaking the Australian national record with 11.08 seconds, but a slow start in the semi-final cost her qualification.

She finished fifth in 11.14 seconds just missing out, behind Melissa Jefferson-Wooden who went on to win the final in a championship record.

After the race, her disappointment was clear. Lewis looked close to tears in a brief interview with SBS, saying she felt “not the best.” This made the moment even tougher because she had already faced a serious Achilles tendon injury earlier that year, which forced her to stop training for over a month.

Now, finally, she has something to celebrate. Along with her previous achievements, a Diamond League win, an Oceania title, and four national championships, this newly awarded gold is a much-needed boost, a recognition of her talent, she’s shown through setbacks and heartbreaks in the track and field

Meanwhile for Adaejah Hodge, this news comes out 2 days after she helped Georgia to win the NCAA indoor track and field championships team title by winning the 200m and coming second in the 60m race. Clearly, the ban days are behind the NCAA Champ now.