Ecuadorian swimmer Ivan Enderica Ochoa has tested postivie for the banned substance Clenbuterol and been suspended by the FINA Dopint Panel for 12 months and stripped of all results from the date of his test.
The positive test came at the 2013 Juegos Deportivos Bolivarianos in Turjillo, Peru, and Ochoa received a provisional suspension on March 7th, 2014. That date will be the start of his 12-month suspension.
Ochoa’s specialty is in the distance and open water events, where he placed 21st in the men’s 10km race. He also placed 7th in the 5km race at last year’s World Championships. He won both the 5km gold medal and the 10km gold medal at the Juegos Bolivarianos where he tested positive.
Clenbuterol is the same substance for which Jessica Hardy and Ning Zetao both tested positive for as two of the highest profile cases in the last several years. The 1-year suspension is a fairly standard length, though Bulgarian Illiya Vasilev got two years in 2012.
Ochoa’s is the first FINA-recognized positive test for clenbuterol in 2013.
His results from the World Championships, which all came well before the positive test, will be unaffected. The date of the positive test was November 21st, 2013, meaning that both of his results from the Juegos Deportivos Bolivarianos will be stripped. Venezuela’s Erwin Maldonado Saavedra will become the 5km champion, and Venezuela’s Johndry Segovia Ramos becomes the winner of the 10km race.
wouldnt that kind of steroids be more useful for someone swimming shorter distances?
clenbuterol isn’t just for muscle gain. it is common amongst bodybuilders for it’s effect on metabolic rate and cutting fat. which is why someone who competed in distance would use it. Alberto Contador got popped for it a few years back.
he could get off if he uses the tainted meat or tainted supplement defense. who knows, maybe in a few years he’ll win a perseverance award from Ecuadorian Swimming.