American swimmer Michael Brinegar, a participant in the Tokyo Olympics, has been sanctioned with a four-year ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) due to irregularities in his Athlete Biological Passport between July and September 2022. Usada determined that these irregularities, characterized by highly abnormal blood values, were indicative of blood doping.
An initial ruling by an independent arbitrator cleared Brinegar of the violation, but Usada contested this decision, leading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) imposing the ban.
As a consequence, Brinegar, 24, will not be eligible to participate in the final trial for the Paris 2024 US team scheduled for Sunday. Known for competing in the 800m and 1500m events, Brinegar has denied any wrongdoing, emphasizing his commitment to fair play in a statement on Instagram.
Brinegar, whose mother Jennifer Hooker Brinegar is a former US Olympian, expressed disappointment with the CAS ruling and vehemently refuted Usada’s accusations as “utterly unfounded.” He cited his personal ethos shaped by his Olympic heritage and condemned cheating in sports.
The decision follows Usada’s recent criticism of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) regarding its handling of positive drug tests by 23 Chinese swimmers at the Tokyo Olympics. Despite the positive tests, Wada accepted the Chinese anti-doping authorities’ explanation attributing the results to contamination, a conclusion Wada stated it was unable to refute.
