The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has updated its athlete drug-testing history statistics with all in- and out-of-competition tests under its program from the second quarter of 2013.
Galen Rupp has been tested more than any other U.S. athlete this year, according to the statistics. The distance runner was tested 19 times in six months, four more than swimmer Missy Franklin and six more than Nike Oregon Project partner Dathan Ritzenhein and another swimmer, Ryan Lochte.
The testing statistics are more notable this quarter than others given recent drug-testing news. USADA reported a total of 1,818 in- and out-of-competition tests over a three-month period. Sports Illustrated reported Jamaica’s anti-doping commission conducted one total out-of-competition test during the same period last year.
Then there’s the fact that two of the top four tested athletes in 2013 are Nike Oregon Project runners. Earlier this week, the Telegraph published a story with comments from Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar about people questioning his top runner, Britain’s Mo Farah.
“It bothers me when people question my integrity,” Salazar told the newspaper. “But the way I look at it, if you don’t want people to say things about you, go run real crappy and then nobody will talk about you. At this level, we know we’re clean. We know we’re never going to test positive for anything. No way in the world. I have a clear conscience.”
Tyson Gay, who has reportedly failed multiple drug tests this year, was tested seven times in the second quarter of 2013, the period during which he failed at least one out-of-competition test.
Lindsey Vonn was the subject of headlines for being tested at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards in June, but that was just one of her three out-of-competition tests during the three-month period. Shaun White was not tested once, but that’s not a surprise given his season was over and no skier or snowboarder was tested more than three times.
Back to Rupp. He was tested 17 times all of last year in USADA’s statistics. The most tested U.S. athlete of 2012? Triathlete Matt Chrabot with 25.
It’s also interesting to look at who was or wasn’t tested when considering retirement announcements. Some athletes will retire but keep their name in drug-testing pools in case they reconsider. It can be a months-long process to get back into competition if an athlete retires and takes his or her name out of testing pools.
Michael Phelps has yet to be tested in 2013, keeping in line with his retirement. Two other athletes who have retired, swimmer Peter Vanderkaay and short track speedskater Katherine Reutter, were both tested in the last three months. This doesn’t mean that Vanderkaay and Reutter are contemplating comebacks, but that they could come back with less hassle if they wanted to.
You can search USADA’s database of drug-testing statistics here.
