US Swimmer Tests Positive

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., August 1. AMERICAN swimmer Rachael Burke has begun serving a provisional suspension after testing positive for a banned substance, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Friday.

Burke, 21, of Bethesda, Md., and a sophomore at the University of Virginia, tested positive for boldione in an out-of-competition test May 1.

Boldione (1,4 androstadienedione) is a new orally active prohormone to the powerful anabolic steroid boldenone. The structure of this compound allows it to display an unprecedented level of oral bioavailability.

Boldione (1,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione) is the lead innovation to arise out of the latest generation of orally active prohormones. A direct precursor to the anabolic steroid boldenone, it displays a level of oral bioavailability far superior to any other compound, including the new 1-androstenes. Boldenone is an anabolic steroid most often found in injectable form as a veterinary medication (boldenone undecylenate). It is chemically a derivative of testosterone, characterized as a strong anabolic and low to moderately androgenic agent. As its name indicates, Boldione is simply the “dione” form of boldenone, activated in the body by the same widely distributed 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme that converts androstenedione to testosterone.

Burke began serving the provisional suspension from competitions Thursday while arbitrators review the case.

If arbitrators find that that Burke violated doping rules, she would receive credit for time served under the provisional suspension.

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