Chinese Swimmers Positive Doping Tests From 2021 Comes To Light

swin @) swan Chinese Doping Scandal Rocks Sports World: A shockwave was sent around the swimming community and the sports world at large on Friday when reports dropped indicating that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for an illegal substance just a few months out of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. Also: The reaction to the Chinese doping scandal, Kaylee McKeown's dominant performance at the Australian Open Championships, and David Popovici rounds into form in Romania. 23 CHINESE SWIMMERS TESTED POSITIVE PRIOR TO TOKYO OLYMPICS, WERE CLEARED TO COMPETE Twenty-three Chinese swimmers produced positive doping tests just months out of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. This news came to light on Friday, first reported by the Herald Sun, and has led to a mass reaction from athletes questioning why the swimmers were cleared to compete, with World Aquatics and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) offering their response. The 23 swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), the same substance Sun Yang was suspended for in 2014, at a pre-Olympic training camp in 2021. TMZ is used as a heart medication in many countries but is not approved in the United States. Chinese anti-doping authorities (CHINADA) found the results of the tests as Adverse Analytical Findings (AAF). Still, they acquitted all the swimmers without any penalties after finding that the samples were flagged as positive due to contamination. The timing of the positive Chinese doping tests came to light around the same time that word broke that American swimmers were reportedly told that the Chinese women's 800 free relay from the Tokyo Olympics had been disqualified. China won that race in world record fashion, and the U.S. was the runner-up just four-tenths back. The Americans were reportedly told they had been elevated to gold, but World Aquatics denied that the Chinese team had been disqualified. A United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) representative reportedly told the American swimmers they would receive a promotion in the medal standings, though USADA denied the report. On Monday, WADA pointed to a contamination case in 2014 "involving more than 10 athletes in the U.S." as precedent to China's swimmers being cleared to compete in Tokyo. WADA officials said they had no evidence to disprove Chinese authorities report that the positive tests were caused by contamination, and cited COVID-19 restrictions as to why an on-the-ground investigation wasn't possible at the time. Read More: * China Responds To Allegations of Widespread Doping * China Contributes Nearly $2 Million Extra To WADA In 2018 and 2019 * Which 23 Chinese Swimmers Tested Positive * WADA and USADA Spar Over Handling of Chinese Foping Case * U.S. Olympic Medalists React To Chinese Doping Scandal * Olympic Swimmers React To Chinese Doping Scandal CHINESE SWIMMERS POST BLISTERING TIMES AT TRIALS AMID DOPING CONTROVERSY News of the doping case came to light the same day the Chinese Olympic Trials kicked off in Shenzhen, where several blistering swims have been produced in recent days. On Tuesday, Yang Junxuan fired off a time of 52.68 in the women's 100 free, setting a new Chinese Record and moving to #5 in the 2023-24 world rankings. 2024 world champion Tang Qianting set a new Asian Record in the women's 100 breast, clocking 1:04.39 to rank #4 all-time and come within 26 one-hundredths of Lilly King's world record from 2017 (1:04.13). Men's sprinting sensation Pan Zhanle has been on fire as well, including a scintillating swim of 46.97 in the 100 free on Tuesday, getting back under the 47-second threshold after breaking the world record in February (46.80). Pan also won the 200 free (1:45.68) and the 400 free (3:45.58), giving him three individual events for Paris through four days of the Trials. See a full qualifiers update through Day 3 here. Full meet coverage is available here. MCKEOWN LIGHTS UP AUSSIE OPEN, BREAKS PAIR OF SUPER-SUITED MEDLEY RECORDS Kaylee McKeown doesn't miss. Seemingly every time the reigning Olympic champion hits the water, she does something extraordinary, and that continued at last week's Australian Open Championships on the Gold Coast. McKeown broke both of Stephanie Rice's Australian and Oceanian Records in the women's 200 and 400 IM, both marks Rice set during the super-suit era. In the 200 IM, McKeown became the fifth-fastest performer of all-time with her swim of 2:06.99, breaking Rice's record of 2:07.03 set at the 2009 World Championships. In an arguably more impressive performance, McKeown unleashed a time of 4:28.22 in the 400 IM, taking down Rice's longstanding Aussie Record of 4:29.45 set at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. McKeown is now the #3 performer in history, trailing only Summer McIntosh (4:25.87) and Katinka Hosszu (4:26.36). McKeown's previous best time in the 200 IM was 2:07.60, while in the 400 IM she had previously been 4:31.68. She plans on racing the 200 IM at the Paris Olympics, but not the 400 IM. McKeown also produced the fifth-fastest performance of all-time in the 200 back, coming within seven-tenths of her world record in 2:03.84, and currently ranks #1 in the world in five events. Mollie O'Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus also had world-leading swims at the championships, with O'Callaghan taking the top spot in the women's 200 free (1:53.57) and Titmus doing so in the 400 free (3:59.13). O'Callaghan also now ranks third in the 100 free (52.27) and 100 back (58.09), while Elizabeth Dekkers moved to #2 in the 200 fly (2:05.20). On the men's side, the highlight of the meet came from Kyle Chalmers, who blasted a time of 47.63 in the 100 free after ankle surgery to rank #4 in the world. DAVID POPOVICI HITS 47.86 100 FREE, 1:45.10 200 FREE Former world record holder David Popovici appears to be rounding into form three months out of the Paris Olympics, setting new season-bests in the men's 100 and 200 free at the Romanian National Championships. Popovici broke 48 seconds for the first time this year in the 100 free in a time of 47.86, moving him into 10th in the 2023-24 world rankings. Popovici's splitting stood out, as he was 23.49 on the opening 50 and then blazed home in 24.37. A fast in-season back half is usually a strong indicator that there's more time to drop when it's time to fully taper. The 19-year-old, who previously held the 100 free world record at 46.86, also went 1:45.10 in the 200 free to rank #8 in the world, and added a new personal best of 3:47.54 in the 400 free. QUICK HITS * The Virginia women's team will have a great chance to make it five NCAA titles in a row next season, as Alex Walsh has announced plans to use her fifth year of eligibility with the Cavaliers in 2024-25. * Vic Riggs, the longtime head coach at West Virginia, resigned from his post after 17 seasons at the helm. * Erik Posegay has been announced as the new associate head coach of the Texas men's team, marking the team's first hire since the appointment of Bob Bowman as Director of Swimming on April 1. * A lawyer for former Kentucky head coach Lars Jorgensen called last week’s rape allegations “defamatory" and blamed "NCAA woke philosophy." * Jordan Tiffany has entered the NCAA transfer portal after a breakout season at BYU where he made a pair of NCAA 'B' finals. * Former world record holder and 2012 Olympic medalist Vladimir Morozov has announced his retirement from competitive swimming. The 31-year-old Russian, who said he wanted to swim in Paris but outside "factors that I could not control" got in the way, hasn't raced since the 2021 Short Course World Championships. * Some major countries, including the United States and the host French team, have unveiled their Paris 2024 uniforms for the Opening Ceremonies. * The NCAA has moved forward on a new rule that will allow unlimited transfers for student-athletes provided they leave their current institution academically eligible. {UPDATE} WORLD AQUATICS DENIES THAT CHINESE 800 FREE RELAY HAS BEEN DQ’ED By Braden Keith on SwimSwam The US 800 free relay that won silver at the 2020 Olympic Games has been notified they will receive gold medals after China was retroactively DQ'ed. Read the full story on SwimSwam: {UPDATE} World Aquatics Denies That Chinese 800 Free Relay Has Been DQ’ed Read More → - OLYMPIC SWIMMERS REACT TO CHINESE DOPING SCANDAL: ‘BAN THEM ALL AND NEVER COMPETE AGAIN’ By Riley Overend on SwimSwam B e - :‘V\} 4:, o ¥ 4 "Wow. Ban them all and never compete again," British Olympic champion James Guy wrote on social media. "Give Slam (Duncan Scott) his gold medal now." Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Swimmers React to Chinese Doping Scandal: ‘Ban Them All and Never Compete Again’ Read More → - CHINA RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS OF WIDESPREAD 2021 DOPING: ‘FAKE NEWS’ By Riley Overend on SwimSwam ) o a ST "The Chinese swimmers involved were neither at fault nor guilty of negligence, and their behavior did not constitute a doping violation," an official said. Read the full story on SwimSwam: China Responds to Allegations of Widespread 2021 Doping: ‘Fake News’ Read More → - MCKEOWN BUSTS OUT 4:28.22 400 IM AUSSIE RECORD TO OVERTAKE RICE’S BEIJING MARK By Retta Race on SwimSwam 22-year-old Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown fired off a new Aussie national record in the women's 400m IM on night 2 of the Open Championships. Read the full story on SwimSwam: McKeown Busts Out 4:28.22 400 IM Aussie Record To Overtake Rice’s Beijing Mark Read More → - KYLE CHALMERS BLAZED 47.63 100 FREE AFTER ANKLE SURGERY FROM (ANOTHER) AUSSIE FOOTBALL INJURY By Riley Overend on SwimSwam The last time Chalmers suffered an Australian Rules Football ankle injury the year before the Olympics, he went on to win a gold medal in Rio back in 2016. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kyle Chalmers Blazed 47.63 100 Free After Ankle Surgery From (Another) Aussie Football Injury Read More → - POPOVICI NOTCHES 47.86 SEASON-BEST 100 FREE, DIACONESCU CLOCKS MONUMENTAL ROMANIAN RECORD By Retta Race on SwimSwam 19-year-old David Popovici logged a season-best in the men's 100m free while the women's winner, Rebecca Diaconescu, made Romanian swimming. history. Read the full story on SwimSwam: Popovici Notches 47.86 Season-Best 100 Free, Diaconescu Clocks Monumental Romanian Record Read More → - NCAA RECORD HOLDER ALEX WALSH ANNOUNCES RETURN TO VIRGINIA FOR COVID-19 FIFTH YEAR By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam Walsh returns after going 3 for 3 in individual NCAA titles this past season, helping lead Virginia to their 4th straight NCAA title. Read the full story on SwimSwam: NCAA Record Holder Alex Walsh Announces Return To Virginia For COVID-19 Fifth Year Read More → - Twitter Facebook Instagram Website