Katie Ledecky didn’t hold back in her first interview addressing the 2021 Chinese doping controversy that has called into question the results of the 4×200 freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics seven months later.
“It’s hard going into Paris knowing that we’re going to be racing some of these athletes,” said Ledecky, a seven-time Olympic champion. “And I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low.”
The greatest distance swimmer of all time nearly captured an eighth Olympic gold medal in the 4×200 free relay a few years ago, but China pulled off an upset en route to a new world record of 7:40.33. Last month, reports surfaced linking 23 Chinese swimmers to positive tests for trimetazidine (TMZ), the same heart medication for which Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was infamously banned four years. The list included two members of China’s triumphant 4×200 free relay team: Zhang Yufei and Yang Junxuan, who set a national record of 1:54.37 on the leadoff leg.
Chinese authorities concluded that swimmers unwittingly ingested TMZ through contamination from a hotel kitchen, but they never identified the source of the banned substance. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said it did not have enough evidence to challenge China’s version of events.
Last month, WADA appointed an independent prosecutor to review the case after catching criticism from the White House, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and international swimming federations. Findings are expected to be released right before the Paris Olympics this summer. Among the main questions is why the Chinese swimmers were not provisionally suspended after testing positive for TMZ.
“I’d like to see some accountability there,” Ledecky said. “I’d like to see some answers as to why this happened the way it did. And I’d really like to see that steps are taken for the future so that we can regain some confidence in the global system. I think the whole case has to be reexamined independently and thoroughly, and all the information needs to be out there.”
Ledecky is gearing up for the U.S. Olympic Trials next month, where she’s favored to make her fourth Olympics in the 1500 free, 800 free, 400 free, and 4×200 free relay. The 27-year-old world record holder dove into the pool as the anchor leg of the U.S. women’s 4×200 free relay in Tokyo trailing Australia by 1.53 seconds before ripping a 1:53.76 split to help her squad secure silver in an American record of 7:40.73.
Ledecky’s full interview with CBS News will air on Sunday.
