Mike Alexandrov, who was on the U.S. national team and swam in the Olympics for Bulgaria, has accepted a one-year ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the agency announced Tuesday.
According to multiple sources, Alexandrov, 32, tested positive for benzoylecgonine and methylecgonine, which are found in cocaine. The results were found after a urine sample he provided at a meet in Santa Clara, California, in June, The Associated Press reported.
The former Northwestern national champion’s one-year ban began on Aug. 24, 2017, the day he returned from his official retirement, according to The Associated Press. He has been disqualified from all competitive results dating to June 4, 2017, when his positive sample was collected, and has forfeited any medals, points and prizes.
Cocaine falls under the class of stimulants and is prohibited in competition under USADA rules.
Alexandrov competed for Bulgaria in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics before changing his athletic citizenship to the United States in 2009. He told Swimming World over the summer that he was retiring from “competitive professional exploits.”
Read the full USADA announcement here.
WTF??? Luca Boscorelli
Bad news.
Brianna Swartley
Good.
Hahahhah
Why did it take almost a year for this to be discovered?
Big of him to accept!!!!
Interesting
Queran de Vos Caelum de Vos banned for using cocaine…
Molly Hein yeah well we swam with him
Christine Hammond
Let me get this straight. He was retired decided to return to the sport used drugs and only gets a year suspension? What is wrong with this and what does it show our hard working youth! Time to change these officials!!!
He used a recreational drug. Not a steroid to enhance his performance. Please don’t make this any bigger than it is.
I am not justifying his use of cocaine, I am however stating there is a significant difference between a recreational drug and a performance enhancing drug. This Should be easy to understand.
What we should be more concerned about for this young man is, is this a bigger problem for him and does he need help with an addiction.
James Hooper unless the Russians turned blood to white powder with the recent Icarus movie he blood dope for all the medals he earned