Russian backstroker Grigory Tarasevich has tested positive for meldonium, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced this week.
According to the USADA, 20-year-old Tarasevich, who swims stateside for the University of Louisville and will be representing Russia in Rio, tested positive via an in-competition urine sample he provided on March 4th of this year, as well as via an out-of-competition urine sample taken on March 29th. The former sample was collected at the Arena Pro Swim Series in Orlando, where Tarasevich claimed 2nd in the men’s 100m backstroke (53.84) and 3rd in the 200m backstroke (1:58.04). Those medals are now forfeited, per the USADA.
The USADA learned in its investigation that a physician in Russia had given Tarasevich a meldonium prescription in June 2015, telling the athlete the drug was to be used during periods of ‘intensive training.’ Tarasevich told the USADA that he used the substance during three separate two-week training periods in 2015, but the last time he reportedly used meldonium was in early October 2015. That is the time frame in which Tarasevich, along with the rest of the sporting world, learned that meldonium would be added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of prohibited substances effective January 1, 2016.
Tarasevich, an Onsk, Russia native, reportedly had an ‘extremely low meldonium concentration’ in his urine samples, which the USADA says is consistent with ingestion prior to the January 1 prohibited substance listing date. That, paired with the fact that WADA has extended its no-fault grace period for testing positive for meldonium in concentrations of less than 1mcg to September 20th, Tarasevich will not face any bans or suspensions and is cleared to compete in Rio.
You can read the entire USADA statement here.
Update: A University of Louisville spokeswoman has provided a statement by Grigory Tarasevich. You can read the statement in its entirety here.
Wondering for a while that some Russian athletes not getting caught – is that because 1) they weren’t tested? 2) Or they stopped and meldonium level dropped to zero so no positive results? 3) Or they did not take the drug as prescribed by their Russian trainer/ program?
In the case of 1), lucky for them. In the case of 2), that means WADA is giving a way out for the ones tested positive by saying that is residual level, but in fact the drug did not Sta in the system for that long. In the case of 3), will the Russian trainer/program get mad at the athletes for not following instruction/training regime?
I don’t get why this makes the news. It says in the article extremely low dose, he played by the rules, when it was legal he took it, when it was not legal he stopped taking it. End of story.
Grisha is the nicest, most honest young man you would ever meet, he would never try to cheat anyone.
This bashing is uncalled for.
Very funny.
you could not catch Armstrong for 20 years, from 1993 when he was paying a doctor 200k per year,
now usda so good they catch anybody who comes across of the ocean .
Who is Grisha? I’m guessing you are from Louisville? Well that makes sense. Louisville stands behind this Grisha kid even after being caught cheating!
Matt/Assistant – please adhere to our commenting guidelines, which includes not using multiple usernames to comment on the same thread. Thanks.
I agree – all of these people comment like they know, from personal experience, what the truth is. Also I did not realize that all of these people are so well educated in his medical records?? I’m not saying he has/doesn’t have a health condition, but find it interesting how many others assume they know everything about him.
Enough Is Enough – thats it
I wonder how deep this goes in Russia I hope people like Vlad aren’t doping
The fact on whether or not he stopped before the drug was banned does not make me feel any better about losing to the guy.
He was so excited winning the backstroke races at a home meet this year, that he splashed around in the pool acting as if he just won an Olympic gold. Maybe he was happy to see the drug he took in early October was still working? Lol!
Kentucky swim mom? ha! But yeah no room for cheater like this at NCAA! SEND HIM HOME! Another reason to hate Louisville after their Basketball team fiasco…
Does anyone believe the IOC won’t bar the entire Russian federation in the coming day(s)?
The Olympics would simply never recover if that doesn’t happen.
Do I hope all of Russia is barred from the games? Absolutely, to uphold the athletic integrity of the games and in light of the recent reports I believe it needs to happen.
Will it actually happen? I’m doubtful and a part of me would be surprised (and elated) if it did happen.
Imagine a Russian athlete medaling (which if they compete I’m sure a few will), when they are handed that medal I imagine you’ll hear a range of boos and jeers raining down on them.
If you remember the worst days of the Tour de France some years back when doping was rampant, the organizers had to take a big financial hit by banning entire teams and some of the top cyclists. They also beefed up the athletes’ blood testing with biological passports with blood modules in 2008.
No system is perfect, but what is required is effective dissuasion: (1) we will eventually catch you, and (2) the punishment will much greater than the gains from doping. So far, we are catching many dopers, even if it takes years, but the punishment is laughably small.
No one has mentioned that Tarasevich has likely broken some serious laws if he took meldonium while training in the U.S. Meldonium is not FDA approved, therefore you cannot get a prescription for it in the US. Even with his Russian doctor’s prescription, you cannot buy meldonium in an American pharmacy.
Tarasevich claims to have last used the drug in early October 2015, when he would have been training and Competing in Louisville. How did he obtain the meldonium? Did he do it himself? Did he have help? These are serious questions that need to be asked in light of the current Russian doping scandal.
I think you are too kind in taking Tarasevich’s words at face value.
He *claimed* he used it the last time in October 2015, but it’s probably because it’s when every athletes in the world should have already known that meldonium would be banned.
I assume his family also has history of heart disease? I believe now that everyone in Russia has heart disease
Makes me question another Russian backstroker who broke a European record and dropped 3 seconds from his pr in one year
Especially considering the fact that he wasn’t tested after that record…
http://rsport.ru/aquatics/20160423/915846545.html
” There have been difficulties, in particular with the European record Eugenia Rylova 200 m backstroke , where he did not plan to take a doping test , but we will make every effort , I think this record will be approved ,” – said Salnikov.
Thank you, google translate!