Russian National-Level Teenage Swimmer Banned 4 Years for Meldonium Test

The tribunal of the Russian Anti-Doping Association (RUSADA) has given Alexander Efimov a four year suspension for violation of anti-doping rules.

The suspension is backdated to May 5, 2025, the beginning of a temporary suspension.

Efimov was suspended after testing positive for the banned substance Meldonium, one of the newest substances on the banned list and one most closely associated with Russia. According to the Anti Doping Database, Russia is responsible for 76 Meldonium-based doping cases since it was banned in 2016. Kazakhstan is next with 36, followed by Latvia with 16 (as of July 20, 2023).

Efimov, who turns 18 this year, is a rising national level swimmer in Russia. At the 2025 Russian National Championships in April, he finished 9th in the 100 backstroke (54.98) and 13th in the 50 backstroke (25.84), making him a prospect in the deep Russian backstroke machine.

Meldonium’s primary pharmaceutical function is to treat cardiovascular, neurological, and metabolic conditions. It was also used extensively by the Soviet Army in the 1980s to improve endurance while fighting at high altitudes in Afghanistan.

When the drug was added to the banned list in 2016, multiple Russian swimmers tested positive, including Yulia Efimova, Nikita Lobintsev, and Grigory Tarasevich. All three were given no-fault findings after the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) was forced to put a threshold for sanctioning because there wasn’t enough research done on how long it takes Meldonium to clear an athlete’s system. The ban was only finalized in October 2015, making it unclear if athletes who tested positive at small concentrations early in 2016 took the substance before or after the ban was announced.

The same was not true for tennis superstar Maria Sharapova, who was banned for two years when she admitted to taking the substance after January 1, 2016, when the ban went into effect. Instead, she and her staff claimed that they were unaware that Mildronate, a trade name for Meldonium, was a banned substance.