Michael Brinegar will no longer be allowed to swim at the United States’ Olympic Trials in Indianapolis this weekend. He was yanked from competition due to allegations of blood doping before his best event.
The 24-year-old Indiana-native vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
Brinegar, who swam the 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyles for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, was informed by the United States Anti-Doping Association of a potential violation last summer. Blood test results from July, August and September of 2022 showed evidence of blood doping while he was not training.
The USADA gave him three options:
- Contest the finding and be subject to a four-year ban if found guilty.
- Do not contest the finding and see the ban reduced to just two years.
- Turn in another competitor and see the sentence reduced by an additional year.
Brinegar ultimately chose to challenge the blood test results.
I was devastated. But knowing that I had not cheated, I chose to fight […]
I have never taken any banned substances and my commitment to competing on a fair and level playing field is unwavering.
— Michael Brinegar
An independent arbitrator actually ruled in Brinegar’s favor in late November of last year. As a result of the positive ruling, he began to ramp up his training for the Olympic Trials with hopes of once again representing his country in Paris. And then things came crashing back down.
In early January, I received notification that USADA was appealing the arbitrator’s decision in my favor and must prove my innocence once more.
— Michael Brinegar
Brinegar was allowed to swim at the Olympic Trials while the appeal was ongoing. He finished 17th in the 400-meter freestyle and 12th in the 800-meter free. Both races were disappointing, but the 1,500 was his focus.
Preliminary races for the 1,500 took place on Saturday. Brinegar was removed from the pool.
The Court for Arbitration in Sport ruled in favor of the United States Anti-Doping Association on Friday. His ban is currently upheld. He can no longer compete at the Olympic Trials.
Brinegar’s mother, Jennifer Hooker, finished sixth in the 200-meter freestyle at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Those games were marred by allegations of rampant doping within the East German side. They were ultimately proved true, which makes Brinegar even more disappointed with the new ruling.
As an Olympian and the son of an Olympic swimmer whose U.S. women’s team faced an East German team that was systematically doping, cheating is a betrayal of everything I have been taught and stand for. I am deeply disappointed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS’s) ruling and USADA’s accusations that are utterly unfounded.
— Michael Brinegar
This ban will likely result in a lengthy process of litigation. If Brinegar is as innocent as he says, he will continue to fight the ruling. Unfortunately, regardless of the future outcome, he will not swim in Paris.
American distance freestyler Kensey McMahon was also ruled out of the Olympic Trials after testing positive for a banned substance. Both her and Brinegar’s bans come after it was discovered in April that 23 Chinese swimmers failed drug tests in 2021. Those positive results were never made public and did not result in punishment.
Perhaps the USADA’s lack of leniency toward McMahon and Brinegar stem from the Chinese scandal. Either way, the controversy will loom over Paris next month while both American swimmers are at home.