Tokyo Olympian Michael Brinegar is out of the boys’s 1500m freestyle heats on the ultimate day of prelims on the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials after the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dominated in favor of the USA Anti-Doping Company (USADA)’s allegations of blood doping throughout a 3 month interval in 2022. Which means that Brinegar is going through a 4 12 months ban.
The USADA’s declare is that Brinegar, now 24, was blood doping primarily based on check outcomes from June, July, and August 2022 after the 2022 World Championships that had been greater than benchmark for Erythropoietin (EPO).
Brinegar had initially been slated to compete at these Worlds, however withdrew after contracting COVID-19 and says that assessments got here throughout “a interval I used to be not coaching.”
In that very same assertion, Brinegar says that he was made conscious of the allegations by way of e-mail from the USADA “24 hours earlier than [he] was about to swim the 1500 on the primary day of the worldwide staff trials in Indianapolis one 12 months in the past” at 2023 U.S. Nationals.
Which means that on June twenty sixth, Brinegar would have obtained an e-mail notifying him there have been abnormalities in his Athlete Organic Passport that resulted in an Hostile Passport Discovering. The USADA deems an Hostile Passport discovering as reliable info to open a case in opposition to an athlete.
This was interval was three months earlier than Brinegar started coaching at Ohio State in October 2022. Since then, Brinegar has moved to coach at The Swim Staff with Mark Schubert, who he has skilled with on and off for the final 9 years. Brinegar formally rejoined TST after 2023 U.S Nationals.
Brinegar shared that he was informed by USADA that if he contested the discovering, he would face a 4 12 months ban that will be decreased to 2 years if he didn’t contest. He says that he was additionally knowledgeable that “if I turned in anybody else, my sentence may very well be decreased a further 12 months.”
“I used to be devastated. However figuring out that I had not cheated, I selected to combat,” he stated.
An impartial arbitrator dominated in Brinegar’s favor in November 2023 however USADA appealed the choice to CAS. CAS’s resolution to uphold the USADA’s unique findings got here down yesterday on June twenty second, the day earlier than Brinegar was scheduled to race the 1500 freestyle in Indianapolis.
UPDATE: If an athlete decides to contest a USADA discovering, step one within the course of is an impartial arbitrator. On this case, the arbitrator dominated in Brinegar’s favor in early December 2023, which is why he was eligible to race on the Portugal Open Water World Cup that month.
Schubert informed SwimSwam,
“Because the coach of Michael Brinegar for the previous 9 years, am fully in help of his innocence. It is not sensible that an athlete would blood dope throughout an eight week break (not coaching) whereas recovering from COVID. This era Is when he was examined. Moreover I’m shocked that USADA would supply to cut back his sentence to 2 years if he didn’t combat the suspension . Why would an harmless athlete conform to that provide?” Additional extra they provided an additional discount of penalty if he turned in athletes who he knew had been dishonest. Why would an harmless athlete agree to those affords? I help Michael and the Brinegar household of their combat in opposition to USADA and these unfair accusations.”
Brinegar completed seventeenth in prelims of the 400 freestyle (3:51.53) and twelfth within the prelims of the 800 freestyle (8:00.15) earlier at Trials. He was seeded third within the 1500 freestyle.
Beneath is Brinegar’s full assertion in addition to what he shared on Instagram.
Michael Brinegar’s Full Assertion:
“As an Olympian and the son of an Olympic swimmer whose U.S. Ladies’s staff confronted an East German staff that was systematically doping, dishonest is a betrayal of all the things I’ve been taught and stand for. I’m deeply disenchanted by the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS’s) ruling and USADA’s accusations which might be completely unfounded.
Nearly precisely one 12 months in the past, 24 hours earlier than I used to be about to swim the 1500 on the primary day of the worldwide Staff Trials in Indianapolis, I obtained an e-mail from USADA. Within the e-mail, USADA claimed that check outcomes from July, August and September 2022 had been proof I used to be blood doping. I couldn’t consider what I used to be studying. If I contested the discovering, I’d be topic to a 4-year ban, or the ban could be decreased to 2 years if I didn’t contest the discovering. As well as, if I turned in anybody else, my sentence may very well be decreased a further 12 months. I used to be devastated. However figuring out that I had not cheated, I selected to combat.
Regardless of at all times testing damaging for any banned substances, USADA suggests I used to be blood doping throughout a interval once I was not coaching and once I was recovering from COVID-19. I had been getting ready to compete in my first 25K on the World Championships in Budapest on the finish of June, however I withdrew from Worlds on account of contracting COVID. On condition that I used to be already lacking the most important meet of the 12 months, it’s absurd to recommend I’d interact in blood doping afterward whereas taking my first prolonged break from coaching in years.
I’ve by no means taken any banned substances and my dedication to competing on a good and degree enjoying subject is unwavering. After an impartial arbitrator initially dominated in my favor in late November 2023, I turned my consideration in direction of fulfilling my dream once more of representing my nation on the Paris Olympics. In early January, I obtained notification that USADA was interesting the arbitrator’s resolution in my favor and should show my innocence as soon as extra. I attempted to refocus and started coaching for the pool occasions and was trying ahead to competing within the 1500 in my house state.
As soon as once more, roughly a 12 months later, 24 hours earlier than I used to be to swim the 1500 in prelims, I obtained an e-mail yesterday stating that CAS present in favor of USADA. I’m devastated that I can’t compete immediately as a result of CAS’s ruling primarily based on flawed assumptions and a misinterpretation of the details.
I’ll proceed to hunt justice on this matter and thank everybody for his or her help and understanding throughout this difficult time.”