Multiple Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky said on Wednesday that questions remain over the case of Chinese competitors who failed doping tests, urging transparency from authorities.
The New York Times reported in April that 23 Chinese swimmers, two of whom competed against Ledecky and her US teammates in Tokyo, had tested positive for a banned substance just seven months before the Covid-delayed 2021 Games in Japan. None of the swimmers were suspended or sanctioned after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the conclusion of Chinese authorities that the case was caused by food contamination at a hotel where they had stayed.
WADA’s stance has been strongly criticised by a number of leading swimmers, including seven-time gold medallist Ledecky, who said previously that her faith in the anti-doping system was at an “all-time low”.
Ledecky said there were issues still to be resolved when asked at a USA swim team press conference if she felt races at the 2024 Paris Games would be fair. “I hope everyone here is going to be competing clean this week. But what really matters also is, were they training clean?” she told reporters. “Hopefully that’s been the case. Hopefully there’s been even testing around the world. And I think everyone’s heard what the athletes think. They want transparency. They want further answers to the questions that still remain.”
Ledecky said that the anti-doping process was not an issue that athletes should have to concern themselves with. “At this point, we’re here to race. We’re going to race whoever’s in the lanes next to us and we’re not the ones paid to do the testing,” she said. “So we hope that the people that are, follow their own rules. And that applies now and into the future. And we want to see some change for the future so that you don’t have to ask us that question.”
Ledecky said it was important to remember why athletes are tested outside of competition time. “I think if you’re trying to get an advantage, you can do it any time. So if people are training with things in their system that shouldn’t be in their system, then they’re getting an advantage,” she said.
“That’s why we’re tested frequently, randomly. Our whereabouts, you know, we have to keep them up to date constantly when we’re training, when we’re here, all that. So we’re following all those rules. Again, all that we ask is that those rules are being applied fairly and consistently worldwide.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has backed WADA after a report said it had not mishandled the Chinese case. The support from the IOC came after strongly worded attacks from Travis Tygart, the head of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), who accused the body of covering up the Chinese cases.
Ledecky ‘likes her chances’ in blockbuster 400m freestyle
Meanwhile, Katie Ledecky threw down the gauntlet to Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh ahead of a blockbuster 400m Olympic freestyle showdown, warning: “I like my chances.”
The American will start one of the Olympic’s most anticipated races on Saturday at La Defense Arena as the underdog based on times this year. But the 27-year-old has long proved she can never be written off and was in a fighting mood when asked about her chances.
“I’m looking forward to the 400 free, day one. I like my chances,” she said. “I feel like I’m prepared and ready to race and that’s all you can ask for.”
Ledecky, who is the undisputed queen over 800m and 1500m, will have to raise her game to better Australia’s Titmus in the shorter distance. Titmus dethroned her in Tokyo three years ago, snatched her world record a year later and swam the second fastest time in history, 3min 55.44sec, last month.
Ledecky’s best time this year is almost three seconds slower than the Australian, as is Canada’s McIntosh, herself a former world record holder. “They’re great athletes and I’ve had the chance to race them quite a few times over the years now, especially Summer who has been training in the US,” she said. “It’s always fun to race the best. We are the top three performers ever in that race, that just makes for a great field, a great race.”
The trio are so dominant that they share the 27 fastest times in history with New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather the only other current swimmer to breach four minutes.
Ledecky said Titmus and McIntosh drove her to keep improving. “Those two have continued to raise the game, raise my game, and I know I have to bring my best,” she said. “I think they know they also have to bring their best.”
