According to Pat Forde, members of the US swim team at the Tokyo Olympics have been informed about alleged positive drug tests within the Chinese squad, which could affect the outcomes of many races as well as the medal distribution in certain categories.
Zhang Yufei, China’s top female swimmer, tested positive for a banned chemical prior to the Olympics but continued to swim, according to The New York Times. Yufei won four medals at the Olympics, including two golds. Her gold medal in the women’s 200 metre butterfly set an Olympic record, and she also contributed to a world record in the women’s 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay.
China also had two male swimmers test positive for a banned substance before the Toyko Games, but both were cleared by China and the World Anti-Doping Agency to compete. Shun Wang won gold in the 200 m individual medley. Qin Haiyang also tested positive, but did not medal in the Games. He did, however, become the world-record holder in the 200 m breaststroke in 2023.
According to German television station ARD, which shared coverage of the doping incident with The New York Times, 23 elite Chinese swimmers tested positive in 2021 but were covertly cleared for the Games. The 23 sportsmen tested positive for trimetazidine, a drug used to treat heart ailments such as angina. According to WebMD, the medicine aids in the metabolization of fatty acids, allowing the body to use more oxygen and increasing blood flow to the heart.
As of Saturday morning, neither USA Swimming nor the United States Anti-Doping Agency has commented on any investigation or reallocation of Olympic medals.
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