90 DAY FIANCE Weightlifter Patrick Mendes busted for doping twice, banned for 10 years

90 Day Fiance Season 9 features 31-year-old Patrick Mendes from Dripping Springs, Texas. Unlike most 90 Day Fiance cast members, Patrick is no stranger to being in the national spotlight as he is a well known Olympic weightlifter. Unfortunately for Patrick, he is most well known for being busted for doping — twice.

In 2012, 21-year-old Patrick was the top-ranked American weightlifter in the over-105-kilogram weight class. He had recently placed 8th at the Pan Am Games and was a prospective medal favorite in the super heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics.

From the US Anti-Doping Agency announcement:

Mendes, 21, tested positive for hGH as the result of two separate samples collected on February 7, 2012, and February 27, 2012 as part of USADA’s Out of Competition Testing Program. The samples were tested at the WADA-accredited Sports Medicine Research & Testing Laboratory (SMRTL), located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Human Growth Hormone is prohibited under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing and the International Weightlifting Federation (“IWF”) Anti-Doping Policies, both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code.

Mendes, admitted his use of hGH and accepted a two-year period of ineligibility, which began on March 19, 2012, the day he accepted a provisional suspension. As a result of the sanction, Mendes is also disqualified from all competitive results obtained on or subsequent to February 7, 2012, the date the first blood sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes.

After his two-year ban ended, Patrick switched nationalities and began competing for the Brazilian National Team. Patrick’s comeback seemed to be going extremely well as he finished in fourth place at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. However, the comeback was extremely short-lived as it was announced soon after the Pan Am Games that Patrick had tested positive for testosterone.

“Patrick Mendes (BRA, 105kg) just tested positive for drug use at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto,” FloElite.com reported at the time. “His sample revealed a testosterone metabolite (4Chlorodehydromethyl testosterone) in his system, and has resulted in a provisional suspension.”

Patrick received an eight-year ban for the positive test. That ban will expire on July 16 of 2023.

Patrick Mendes is still lifting weights, as evidenced on his @buffmendes Instagram account. It’s unclear if he intends to return to competition or attempt to earn a spot on either the US or Brazilian Olympic teams. Perhaps more about his future weightlifting goals will be revealed when Patrick and his Brazilian fiancée, Thais Ramone, make their debut on 90 Day Fiance Season 9 this Sunday!

Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com