Grigory Tarasevich Tests Positive for Meldonium; Still Rio Bound

Grigory Tarasevich men's NCAA Division I championships
Photo Courtesy: Jeff Reinking

Russian Olympian Grigory Tarasevich has tested positive for meldonium. However, he will not face a suspension since the concentration found was low, indicating that he used the substance before it was banned on January 1.

The University of Louisville swimmer tested positive at the Arena Pro Swim Series Orlando in March and again in a March 29 out of competition test.

According to the USADA, Tarasevich used the substance “during three, two-week periods in 2015.” However, he stopped once plans were released to add meldonium to the list of banned substances.

The 20 year old heads to Rio with the eighth best time in the world this year in the 100 backstroke. He posted that 53.03 at the Russian Championships.

Just last week, Russian breaststroke start Yulia Efimova was cleared to compete in Rio after also testing positive for meldonium.

After this week’s release of the McLaren Report, it remains to be seen if any larger action will be taken to ban the Russian delegation from the Rio Games.

Read the full statement from the USADA here:

USADA announced today that Grigory Tarasevich, of Omsk, Russia, an athlete in the sport of swimming, has tested positive for a prohibited substance, which was determined to have been ingested by him without fault or negligence.

Tarasevich, 20, tested positive for meldonium as the result of both an in-competition urine sample he provided on March 4, 2016, at the Arena Pro Swim Series in Orlando, Florida, and an out-of-competition urine sample he provided on March 29, 2016. Meldonium is a non-specified substance that was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) Prohibited List in 2016. It is in the category of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and is now prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee (“USOC”) National Anti-Doping Policies (“USOC NADP”), and the Fédération Internationale de Natation (“FINA”) Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the WADA Code (the “Code”) and the WADA Prohibited List.

During USADA’s investigation of the case, it was discovered that a physician in Russia gave Tarasevich a prescription for meldonium in June 2015. The doctor told Tarasevich that the meldonium was to be used during periods of intensive training. Tarasevich reported using the substance in response to difficult training during three, two-week periods in 2015. The last time Tarasevich used meldonium was in early October 2015, when he learned it was going to be added to the WADA Prohibited List. WADA announced on September 29, 2015, that meldonium would become a prohibited substance in 2016.

After a thorough review of the case, USADA concluded that the extremely low meldonium concentration in the athlete’s urine sample, combined with the athlete’s explanation of use, was consistent with ingestion prior to the substance being officially prohibited on January 1, 2016. Based on the latest guidance offered by WADA on June 30, 2016, for cases involving meldonium, Tarasevich will not face a period of ineligibility.

However, Tarasevich has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on March 4, 2016, the date his first positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

In an effort to aid athletes, as well as all support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. In addition, the agency manages a drug reference hotline, Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Prohibited List, easy-reference wallet cards, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference documentation.

USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs

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Nancy Buss
Nancy Buss
7 years ago

Good luck Grigory

Brett Davies
7 years ago

I think that all russian athletes should be banned from competing in the Rio olympics by this I mean all of the sports events not just athletics.

Andrei Vorontsov
Andrei Vorontsov
7 years ago

My Friends it is not so simple. Do not hurry to blame people for medonium use. Out of 150-160 positives there were only 47 Russians. Now we even have the best USA volleyball player performing for Russian club, who was positive for M.

PLS, ANSWER TO YOURSELF (for me it is cry slal clear) ON FOLLOWING QUESTION:

Does Creatine loading technique enhance sport results in sprint events (and not only in sprint)?
YES IT DOES! THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS ACADEMIC STUDIES THAT PROVE IT. You can find in in Internet very rapidly (in 5 minutes time) dozens of articles . Do athletes in different sports and in ALL countries use creatine supplements in their preparation? Yes they do!!!
ARE THEY DRUG USERS???

Does bicarbonate loading improve endurance in anaerobic events (100, 200 even 400 m in swimming). Yes, hundreds of academic studies say so. Do athletes in different endurance sports use bicarbonate loading? Yes they do in many sports and in many countries.
ARE THEY DRUG USERS???

I know only one article on mildronate dated back to 2002 and OPENLY PUBLISHED in Proceedings of the FINA Sport Medicine Symposium, held in Moscow during 2002 World Short Course Championships (I was an interim Head Coach for British Team at the Championships and presenter at that FINA Symposium, so I have the book of Proceedings). In that article authors claimed that the stuff enhance rapid recovery after heavy trainings and protect heart muscle from damage due to big intensive training volumes. So they recommended to use M. for prophylactics from overtraining.

1) nobody ever hide the use of mildronate/meldonium. Yes, it was widely used like polivitamins or sport drinks and supplements.

2) there are no scientific proof that Meldonium enhances sport results (you may claim on the label whatever you want in order to sell your product!)

3) it was not banned substance until 01.01.2016. In Tarasevich’s case USADA found only minor traces of M, that means he use in long before the New Year.

I shall be obliged very much if anybody will sent me reference on 3-4 article on meldonium in the next 48 hours. I’ll buy you a drink!!! Just show me this article. You can find me in Rio Olympic pool during the next 20 days.
Thank you in advance for sending me scientific articles published in peer reviewed journals on Meldonium’s role in facilitation of sports performances!!! (No Wikipaedia, please!)

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