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U.S. National Team swimming Madisyn Cox has been handed a two year doping suspension according to a report that appeared on FINA’s website.
The doping panel decision details that Cox tested positive for the substance Trimetazidine during an out of competition test. The substance, which Chinese swimmer Sun Yang also tested positive for back in 2014, is listed as a Class 4.5.4 (Hormones and Metabolites) according to the WADA Prohibited Substance List.
According to their full report, the FINA panel does acknowledge that Cox “did not act with intention” in ingesting the drug, and consequently limited her suspension to two years instead of what would normally be a four year suspension. Notably, Sun Yang was only given a three-month suspension for his positive test.
The two year sanction started on March 3, 2018 (the last day she competed) and will end on March 2, 2020. All of the results past February 5th will no longer be official, and she will be forfeiting her prize money from the Arena Pro Swim Series meet in Atlanta.
Cox was a two-time medalist at last summer’s World Championships, earning a gold medal as part of the United States’ 800 free relay and an individual bronze medal in the women’s 200 IM. Cox was scheduled to compete in five events at next week’s 2018 U.S. National Championships, including an entry as the #2 seed in the 200 IM.
You can read the full panel report from FINA here.
This is such BS. FINA should be ashamed.
Yet they let known dopers swim in the Olympics