USADA has banned American weightlifter Megan Munsell for four years following a positive test for GW1516 ©Getty Images

American weightlifter Megan Munsell been suspended for four years following a doping violation.

Munsell tested positive for metabolites of banned substance GW1516.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said that it received intelligence that Munsell was doping, which led it to test the weightlifter on March 7 of this year.

Munsell failed that test, with GW1516 sulfone and GW1516 sulfoxide detected in the sample provided.

The four-year ban has been backdated to begin on March 7.

Elena Lashmanova was banned previously for using GW1516 ©Getty Images
Elena Lashmanova was banned previously for using GW1516 ©Getty Images

Munsell's results from American Open Series 1 on March 7 have also been disqualified.

Fellow American weightlifters Benjamin Barnes and David Bayer were banned in July 2017 after testing positive for GW1516, while boxer United States boxer Jarrell Miller and Russian Olympic race walking champion Elena Lashmanova have also served suspensions for using GW1516.

GW1516, banned because of its performance-enhancing capabilities, is illegal in the US and clinical trials found it can cause cancer.

The World Anti-Doping Agency previously took the rare step of issuing a safety alert concerning the substance.