PHOENIX, Arizona, July 17. ALL samples collected during competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials — Swimming in Omaha, Neb., for drug testing were clean, according to a post on Twitter today by Olympian and swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines.
“Every single drug test from the US Olympic Swim Trials came back negative,” wrote Gaines in his Twitter account.
Update: The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is keeping with its policy of not commenting on negative drug tests. Spokeswoman Anne Skinner did tell Swimming World that every swimmer on the U.S. Olympic swimming team participated in out-of-competition testing about 150 days prior to Trials, in addition to being tested in Omaha. In addition to those who made the Olympic team, random athletes were drug tested at Trials, Skinner said.
After the 2008 Olympic Trials, Swimming World learned exclusively that Jessica Hardy had tested positive for a banned substance later found to be clenbuterol. Through several months of appeals, Hardy had her suspension reduced from two years to one year, but was not allowed to compete in the 2008 Olympics.
Hardy redeemed herself this year, making the 2012 team in two individual events, and potentially two relays. The International Olympic Committee ruled that she did not fall under their “Rule 45” keeping an athlete out of two Olympics following a positive drug test.
The lab that tested all the urine samples from the 2008 meet admitted that it did not put the drug samples on rush order. That error cost Tara Kirk and Lara Jackson spots on the Olympic team, as the results of the drug test fell after the deadline for adding new swimmers to the team.
Swimming World will bring you updates as they become available.
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