In what has been a real black-eye, even in the checkered doping past of Russia and its predecessors, three more swimmers have been provisionally suspended by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency after positive tests in June.
Igor Akhlyustin, Anton Komlev, and Mikhail Dovgalyuk were informed of their rights by RUSADA after Akhlyustin tested positive on June 18, 2013, Komlev on June 11, 2013, and Dovgalyuk on June 13, 2013. In late July, they were “provisionally suspended from participating in any capacity in a training camp or competition until the decision has been rendered on the case.”
The 24-year old Akhlyustin tested positive at the Russian Championships after finishing 3rd in the 200 fly with a 2:00.19. He also swam a 26.4 in the 50 fly and a 56.2 in the 100 fly, though there was no indication by the Russian Anti-Doping group if he was tested after either of those races.
Komlev, who is only 18, tested positive the week prior at the Russian Junior Championships after winning the Russian Junior title in the men’s 50 breaststroke in 28.41. He was also 5th in the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.8, and was a 2:21.6 in the 200 breaststroke.
And finally, Dovgalyuk’s test also came at the Russian Junior Championships after winning the 200 free in 1:49.91. Earlier in the meet, he also placed 2nd in the 400 free in 3:55.04, though there was no indication if he was tested after that race. Dovgalyuk is also 18.
The substances for which they tested positive were not divulged.
The three join an ever-growing list of swimmers who have been suspended, provisionally or permanently, for positive tests in the last year. Those we’ve posted about include:
- Daria Ustinova’s warning.
- Nikita Maksimov receives two-year ban for anabolic steroids.
- Olympian Natalia Lovtsova banned for two-and-a-half years.
- European Short Course Champion Ksenia Moskvina banned for 6 years, and Olympian Ekaterina Andreeva banned for 18 months.
- Two Russian Cup Champions Provisionally Suspended in Early May.
The comments, thus far, about these cheating athletes frustrate and worry me.
If not outright condoning it, I sense a virtual acceptance of the practice of PED abuse.
I am “only” a swim-parent whose 14 year old son works his butt off with his teammates 6 days a week, but I want outrage from those in charge of this beautiful sport, and REAL punishment for those athletes who contaminate it: LIFETIME BAN FOR FIRST OFFENDERS!
Baseball-poisoned
Track-poisoned
Football-poisoned
Cycling-poisoned
It is coming to every sport if we allow it, but we don’t have to.
My sister tells me it is becoming common-place in her community in south Florida for parents of middle-schoolers… Read more »
A poster here outlined how he was investing in sporting supplements due to the huge youth uptake.
Re your HGH – I knew a cute little 11 year old elite gymnast who went into a depressed catatonic state when her wrist readings returned suggesting she would only be 4 ‘8. She had to get national level agreements to go on a HGH program n.
At the other end of the scale is the Rejuvenation clinics which are a source & market for PEDs. Looking at those that can afford top treatments I think they really have something going on .
IMO it is not only here to stay but going to get massive .
What about Brazilian swimmers leading up to 2012? I remember there were something like 18 violations over a 12 month period!
There are cheaters everywhere on an individual basis, but trying to classify everyone under a certain geographical or national section is ridiculous. Lance was cheating to for all sakes, and so were plenty of other cyclists from the US. So are all of the American cyclists automatically cheaters?
I thought if a Federation had a certain number of + tests in a given year, there were sanctions leveled. Did I imagine that?
ChestRockwell – this comes up about every time someone mentions Chinese or Russian doping. It is NOT a rule, in fact, unless there’s some evidence that the Federation is systematically doping its athletes. Not that some existential “all of them” are, but that the actual federation is pushing it (unlikely in the modern day).
All rules that I’m aware of regarding “multiple tests” apply only in team sports, of which swimming is not considered one.
You can see those rules in Section 11 of the World Anti-Doping Code here:
http://www.wada-ama.org/Documents/World_Anti-Doping_Program/WADP-The-Code/WADA_Anti-Doping_CODE_2009_EN.pdf
Yeah, that would be a stupid rule. You would expect that China will always have more doping cases than Albania, for example, for obvious reasons. You cannot put a number there.
A quick look at the athletics – I saw several full steroid / PED ( non stimulant ) Ex banned American athletes competing right at the very top . Gatlin was a tick behind Bolt & another WON the 400 by half a second plus.
It is not logical that they would be better if not on PEDs.
Other than that I can’t remember a time when the US was not at the top of the medals table by a country mile. This time only 6 winners.take the 400 cheat out & it looks grim.
Salazar says his American athletes are too scared to do well.
Who knows what is going on.
And the Russians are clean? Isn’t there like 50+ Russian athletes that are currently sanctioned for PEDs? Bolt had 5 or so compatriots (high level competitors) that tested positive as well. I know you’re one of Russia’s biggest defenders/apologists, but If you’re going to call out the Americans, you better call out the Jamaicans and especially the Russians as well.
Please, Philip Johnson, you’ve been quite active in implying Russian athletes as cheaters yourself.
It’s possible to apply your logic to both directions. In your way of thinking more cases mean more cheating in a respective country in general. We can also say that inferring from the number of cases recently, Russian Anti-Doping Agency is doing a good job. What, in turn, makes us suspicious is the silence of many other corresponding agencies. Can we trust them? A quotation from Carl Lewis’ wikipedia account:
“In 2003, Dr. Wade Exum, the United States Olympic Committee’s director of drug control administration from 1991 to 2000, gave copies of documents to Sports Illustrated which revealed that some 100 American athletes who… Read more »
Just for the record, I don’t accuse anyone of anything until there is reliable evidence of things being differently.
I just find categorizing athletes according to their nationality disturbing and biased. I’ve been blinded by such an irrationality myself when I was younger. We, Finnish, never cheat and it’s the others who are cheating, but it’s definitely not us. Our systems are more reliable, our people are more trustworthy etc etc.
Then came Lahti Games for cross-country skiing in Finland. Home games and big pressure on athletes to deliver. A great deal of the members of a Finnish team got caught by cheating. It opened my eyes. We are not better than others.
Anyway, I don’t feel any blame… Read more »
I find it very hard to navigate between blind-eyed faith and utter cynicism. I want to believe athletes are honest, otherwise I can’t find any joy in watching the sports I love, yet I’m aware that sadly many of them may not be. But always it must be presumed that they are innocent until proven otherwise.
Unfortunately in Denmark thanks to the antics of a certain Mr. Bjarne Riis, the default position of many is that when a Danish athlete does something exceptional they must be on drugs, and that for me is the greatest sadness of doping, that we lose the joy and pride in fantastic performances.
These guys are proven serious infringers – one of the famous sex addict excuse. It is a mystery how they are going so well now if they are not equally assisted.
That logic would apply to any others.
Compatriots is another subject entirely . Squad members is narrowing it down & further down the line to close relationships .
The change in the medal table is a sporting fact – I can remember when they would win 13 golds.
Salazar ‘s comment is on record & gleaned as part of the questions of britain’s Mo Farah who has displayed superhuman range – especially for a formerly journeyman 30 year old. Salazar is declaring the Nike empire is bleach… Read more »
Does anyone know what substance they tested positive for?
scary to see that this is going on at the Junior level. makes you wonder how rampant it could be at the professional level.
Sigh! Don’t they think they will eventually be found out?
I think its the same kind of mentality as those who drink or text a drive…”it wont happen to me”
they are the stupid ones.
The smart ones will never get busted in a championship.
Is there a way of keeping the two different Daria Ustinovas easier to tell apart? Birth year doesn’t work, so maybe middle names if know.
Yeah…that whole situation is sort of absurd…Will investigate specific middle names (I know they have different middle initials).
Just as an information, not to be a smart ass… Russians do not have “middle names.” Middle name is the father’s name. So for (fictional) Vladimir Aleksandrov Ivanovich, Aleksandr is actually his father’s name, and Aleksandrov should be understood as “son of Aleksdandr.”
I still believe Efimova was juiced in Barcelona.
I share your belief.
Indulge me if you will, I’m interested to know what makes you think this. Were there other swimmers you suspected or just Efimova apparently on the basis of being Russian.
Curious, maybe on the basis on Russia consistently having their athletes testing positive for banned substances?
Fair enough, I just wondered if there was some specific basis behind it or not. Certainly their overall record gives just cause for such suspicion.
It still seems ridiculous to me that a national federation can escape sanction for so many doping cases, although I understand the rationale for encouraging national feds to report cases rather than cover them up.
No proof of her cheating here, off course. I just do not trust any Eastern European swimmer, and I do not trust her closing speed and endurance on last 50m, on 200m race at WC for example.
A hint of xenophobia there psychodad?
Daria K Ustinova
in Russian alphabeth: Дарья Константиновна Устинова
so,
K = Константиновна
(i don’t how to spell or read or translate it to our alphabet. sigh!)
Daria S Ustinova
she is not famous enough, so I can’t get her “s” name anywhere. 🙂
After compare to the writing of Ustinova in Russian Alphabet ( Устинова ), I think
Константиновна should be read as KONSTANTINOVNA 🙂