LITHUANIAN SWIMMER RUTA Meilutyte announced her retirement today at the age of 22 after missing three doping tests, ending a career in which she became Olympic and world champion.
Lithuania’s swimming federation said earlier this month that Meilutyte faced a suspension of up to two years for missing three drug tests, meaning she would be ruled out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“The swimmer took full responsibility for missing all tests,” the federation said, adding that Meilutyte had failed to properly inform international anti-doping authorities about her whereabouts.
Lithuania’s anti-doping chief Kristina Jagminiene described it as an “unfortunate mistake”.
Meilutyte, who has never failed a doping test, was a star of the 2012 London Games, where as a 15-year-old she won the 100 metres breaststroke event.
She also won the gold at the world championships in Barcelona a year later.
“I am ready to start a new chapter of my life. Thank you all who supported me on this road”, she said in a statement.
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Straight as a roundabout, all those Meilutytes are the same.
@Big Dick Johnson: well said
@Buzz O Sullivan: Cheers Buzz
I remember the 2012 olympic games. She was the british trained teenage “Golden Girl” meanwhile fellow teenage sensation Ye Shiwen was met with nothing but suspicion from the UK media and allegations were thrown around left and right.
I wonder why that was.
@Kazoochka: Do you ever wonder why in the ,last ten years or so Britain’s sporting success just gets better and better?
Form never winning anything to having the worlds best cyclists and Olympic athletes even in the Winter Olympics.
Even their football team ran faster and longer than any other team at the last World Cup?…
Another joke of testing. If someone misses three tests the consequences should be such that all previous medals are stripped back as far as their last successful test.
@Bungee Aky: Athletes do multiple tests per month so this “rule” would have zero effect. You could miss 3 tests in one week having passed a test the week before.
@Kazoochka: fair point, but there needs to be bigger consequences, also what is stopping her from continuing to train, juice untested and then come out of retirement down the road with enough time to qualify for big competitions?
She was reportedly in the bog for one of the tests,turnin turf.
Definitely somethin’ Bruin…
@William Tallon: who could never “say” where her training timetable was taking place or for how long when asked by officials leading up to the Olympics
Did she get the Whiskey / Pee recipe wrong . Was there another woman that had such a concoction secreted upon her person ?
In recent years she has been well off the pace of King and Efimova. Jon Rudd who is now with Swim Ireland was her coach during her successful period.
Not surprised to see her retire, she would have struggled anyway without a ban to get back to the top.
Strip her of her titles.
and more.
How about you stop referring to her as a “champion” in that case. But then the title would be so click baity
Sur swimming is more of a thing than a sport