The first stop of the final cluster of the 2015 FINA World Cup Series will take place in Tokyo, Japan on October 28th and 29th and one Australian is more than ready to be there. Olympic gold medalist Kylie Palmer will make her return to competition at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center following her recent doping case ordeal.
In a somewhat bizarre anti-doping case we reported on as it unfolded, Palmer had passed two separate drug tests at the 2013 World Championships, but tested positive for low levels of a diuretic/masking agent in a third. At the time, FINA originally planned not to pursue an anti-doping case against Palmer, but the World Anti-Doping Agency disagreed. Miscommunication between the two organizations meant Palmer was not informed of her failed test until almost two years later, severely hampering her ability to defend herself or show how the banned substance entered her system.
The result? Palmer voluntarily stepped down from her country’s World Championships roster, and most recently welcomed FINA’s punishment of a warning and a stripping of all results from the single day she failed the test. That wiped out a 6th-place finish in the 200 free, but did not take away any medals.
As such, Palmer is now free to compete, and will use the Tokyo World Cup stop as a test of her recent training, as well as a stepping stone into her push for Rio. Says her coach Chris Mooney of his athlete’s recent troubles, “It was a huge challenge for her to stay motivated.” Mooney continued, “You can only be positive for so long before it starts to get you down. In the end we decided the only thing we could do was to be ready if she got a favourable decision.”
In terms of where Palmer falls physically in the midst of her training at this point, Mooney says, “She’s not far off her best form at all. I couldn’t be happier with where she is at this point. So this will be a good opportunity for Kylie to get back in the game.’’
Get in the game she shall, as Palmer is slated to swim the 100m/200m/400m/800m freestyle events in Tokyo. Of the four events, Palmer’s highest world ranking is 12th in the 200m freestyle with the 1:56.68 she hammered out at the Australian Swimming Championships in April.