Lausanne, Switzerland – American hurdler Brianna McNeal, who won Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, has been given a five-year ban "for tampering within the results management process" of a doping control, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said Friday.

McNeal, said the AIU, has appealed against the decision to Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.

She will have her case heard before the Tokyo Olympics begin on July 23.

The CAS on Thursday temporarily stayed the decision to allow McNeal to compete until the end of the American Olympic Trials on June 27.

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McNeal (29) has already served a one-year ban for three whereabouts failures in 2016, months after winning 100-meter hurdles gold at the Rio Olympics.

She was also the 2013 World champion in the 100-meter hurdles.

The track-and-field star has denied any wrongdoing. In an Instagram statement: "As far as my situation goes, I am still me! Very clean, very honest and transparent," she wrote on Instagram.

"Once all of this blows over I will provide more details of what's actually going on. The system is pretty messed up if you ask me but that's another topic for another day.

"I will be continuing to grind and do my absolute best to stay afloat," she concluded.

Friday's ban, if upheld, would be back-dated to begin August 15, 2020. McNeal would then be barred from participating in the delayed 2020 and 2024 Olympics.