HBCU Olympic Gold Medalist Returns After Three-Year Ban. After three years away from competition, Randolph Ross is set to return to the track. The former HBCU standout and Olympic Gold Medalist from North Carolina A&T will compete in the men’s 400 meters on Sunday at the Meeting International de Marseille in France…

HBCU Olympic Gold Medalist Returns After Three-Year Ban.

After three years away from competition, Randolph Ross is set to return to the track. The former HBCU standout and Olympic Gold Medalist from North Carolina A&T will compete in the men’s 400 meters on Sunday at the Meeting International de Marseille in France

 

 

Marseille, France – July 12, 2025 — After three years away from competitive athletics, Olympic gold medalist and HBCU standout Randolph Ross is making his return to the track. The former North Carolina A&T sprinter is set to compete in the men’s 400 meters at the prestigious Meeting International de Marseille in France this Sunday, marking a significant step in his redemption journey.

Ross, 26, was once among the brightest young stars in American track and field. A product of North Carolina A&T’s powerhouse track program under his father and coach Duane Ross, he captured national titles and earned his place on the world stage with a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as part of the U.S. 4×400-meter relay team.

However, his meteoric rise was halted in 2022 when he received a three-year ban from the sport for a whereabouts violation — a rule requiring athletes to provide their location for out-of-competition drug testing. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) determined that Ross had missed three drug tests within a 12-month period, resulting in a suspension that kept him sidelined during what could have been his prime competitive years.

Now eligible to compete again, Ross is stepping back onto the track with something to prove — not only to the track and field community but also to himself.

“This return means everything,” Ross said in a recent interview. “It’s been a long three years of reflection, training, and growth. I’m not the same athlete or person I was in 2022, and I’m grateful for another chance.”

Ross’s reentry into the sport comes at a time when U.S. sprinting is seeing a surge of young talent. While he will need to rebuild his ranking and reputation, many in the track and field world are watching closely to see whether he can recapture the form that once made him a national champion and Olympic gold medalist.

North Carolina A&T, a historically Black college with a rapidly growing reputation in collegiate track and field, played a major role in Ross’s development. His return also shines a spotlight on the growing influence of HBCUs in producing elite-level athletes.

“This is bigger than just me,” Ross said. “Coming from an HBCU, I always felt like I had something to prove. I still do.”

Ross has reportedly been training quietly but intensely since becoming eligible earlier this month, and his choice to open his comeback season in Europe is seen as a strategic move to ease back into competition away from the domestic spotlight.

As he lines up in Marseille this weekend, Ross will be running not just for a victory, but for vindication.

Whether or not he can reclaim his place among the world’s best 400-meter runners remains to be seen. But for Ross, just being back on the starting line is a win in itself — a symbol of resilience, redemption, and the enduring spirit of an HBCU athlete determined to rise again.