Career
He also competed at the 1992 IAAF World Cup, but failed to register a valid mark. Asked his opinion, around the 1988 Seoul Olympics, on the prevalence of doping in athletics he responded "We know a lot of athletes are using drugs, but they"re able to test negatively because they know the system so well". At the 1992 Olympic Tarpenning ascribed his good performance to his use of legal and World Anti Doping Agency approved Chinese herbal medicines, including deer antler and ginseng.
Tarpenning, who is in good standing with USATF, has never engaged in the intentional use of any prohibited substance.
However, the USATF Doping Hearing Panel and Doping Appeals Board determined, after a positive test on 14 July, 1997, that Mr. Tarpenning was inadvertently administered a prohibited substance by a physician"s assistant during treatment for a hamstring injury where the medicine prescribed was a type of cortisone, not an anabolic steroids The Board, however, found that the strict liability policy per USATF regulations in place at the time of the incident required automatic suspension.
In accordance with current regulations, a similar case today would not incur a suspension. After his career he moved to Monaco and was involved in the opening of the first Starbucks coffee house in the country.