Doping-Former US Olympian Brinegar hit with four-year doping ban

(Reuters) - American swimmer Michael Brinegar, who competed in the 800 and 1,500 metres events at the Tokyo Olympics, was been handed a four-year suspension for blood doping, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said on Monday.

Brinegar, the son of Jennifer Hooker Brinegar who competed for the U.S. at the 1976 Olympics, was charged with a doping offence after USADA said highly abnormal blood values in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) from July to September 2022 were identified as being caused by blood doping.

An independent arbitrator later ruled Brinegar did not commit a violation, which cleared the way for the 24-year-old to compete in last week's Olympic trials in Indianapolis where he swam in the 400 and 800 freestyle heats.

USADA appealed that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and a three-member panel sided with the anti-doping agency and handed Brinegar a four-year ban that ruled him out of the final event at the trials on Sunday, the 1,500 free.

Brinegar denies committing any doping violations.

"As an Olympian and the son of an Olympic swimmer whose U.S. women’s team faced an East German team that was systematically doping, cheating is a betrayal of everything I have been taught and stand for,” Brinegar posted on Instagram.

“I am deeply disappointed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling and USADA’s accusations that are utterly unfounded.”

(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)