22-year old Australian butterflier Calum Timms has been handed a two-year suspension by Swimming Australia, effective July 29, 2013, after testing positive in a control test at the Victoria Open Championships.
Timms tested positive for three substances: Methylhexaneamine, N. alpha-diethyl-benzeneethanamine and 1-Phenylbutan-2-amine, all Class S.6.b Specified Stimulants.
Timms was once a top prospect in Swimming Australia; in 2009, he was as fast as 53.75 and 1:58.04 in the 100 and 200 flys in long course. Into his 20’s, his times tapered off a bit though: he finished 20th at the 2013 Australian National Championship meet in 54.81.
The latter two of the substances that Timms tested positive for are often present in joint in doping tests.
He is the second aquatic sports athlete to test positive and reported to FINA for Methylhexaneamine in 2013, but in years prior it was a popular choice in doping: FINA reported a total of 7 positive tests in 2012, and 8 in 2011.
This is the first FINA-reported aquatics positive test for Australia since 2010, where a swimmer and a water polo player both tested positive for different substances.
Agreed…we do need to get the availability of these drugs sorted out..not just prosecute the desperate user. The damage to their health is the main concern..its very sad really 🙁
These specific stimulants are very common down under, and across the Tasman in New Zealand, amongst ruggers especially. Supposedly, they come down from the illicit markets in Thailand, as well as from other unregulated areas in SE Asia.
What is surprising, is that DMAA and DEBEA and their analogs, which these substances can be categorized as, also exist as explicit ingredients in American supplements. The FDA was waiting on a US Army/Dept of Defense study to surface in early 2012, but for some unknown reason the results were withheld, with only a conclusion made public. DMAA and DEBEA were cleared in the death of a few of the Army’s finest, but were stamped with the label ‘risk’ by the… Read more »