Former World Junior champion and current Michigan Wolverine Wyatt Davis has accepted a three-month period of ineligibility for a positive doping test collected in June 2023, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced on Jan. 16.
Davis, 22, tested positive for 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (Carboxy-THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, marijuana and hashish, above the urinary Decision Limit of 180 ng/mL, in a sample collected in-competition at the 2023 U.S. National Championships on June 30, 2023.
Davis had a standout performance at U.S. Nationals, placing 3rd in the men’s 50 back (24.62) and 6th in the 100 back (53.43) in personal best fashion, and added an 18th-place finish in the 200 back (1:59.23) and a 34th-place finish in the 100 fly (54.00).
As a result of the positive test, Davis has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on or after June 30, meaning only his 100 back performance at Nationals will be disqualified, as it took place on June 30. The 200 back was on June 28, while the 50 back and 100 fly were both on June 29.
In addition to all of his results on or after June 30 being disqualified, Davis’ three-month period of ineligibility didn’t start until Jan. 2, 2024, the date he accepted the sanction.
While the matter was pending, USADA determined that Davis violated his provisional suspension by participating in an activity authorized/organized by a Code Signatory (USA Swimming), meaning he does not receive credit for any time he spent provisionally suspended.
Davis was able to prove that his use of the substance occurred out-of-competition and was unrelated to sport performance, allowing him to have a reduced sanction per the World Anti-Doping Code, which allows as such for THC, which is classified in a special “Substances of Abuse” category.
Davis has not competed since the conclusion of U.S. Nationals, though he is still listed as a senior on the University of Michigan’s roster for the 2023-24 season.
With his period of ineligibility beginning on Jan. 2, it will conclude on April 2, meaning he will miss the entirety of the college campaign.
Former University of Texas sprinter Tate Jackson received a one-month suspension from USADA for a positive THC test in 2021. An athlete is able to have their period of ineligibility further reduced from three months to one if they satisfactorily complete a Substance of Abuse treatment program approved by USADA.
A former star swimmer at Carmel Swim Club, Davis joined Michigan in the 2020-21 season, earning a runner-up finish at the 2021 Big Ten Championships in the men’s 200 back while also earning top-eight finishes in the 100 back and 200 free, qualifying for the NCAA Championships as a freshman.
Prior to the 2022 NCAA postseason, he returned home to Carmel to focus on mental health and did not compete at Big Tens or NCAAs. He returned to the Wolverines last season, placing 2nd in the 100 back, 3rd in the 200 back and 5th in the 100 fly at Big Tens. He then took 23rd in the 100 back and 34th in the 200 back at NCAAs.
Prior to Michigan, Davis won gold in the boys’ 200 back and added an individual silver in the 50 back at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Budapest.
Davis and Jackson are not the only elite swimmers to have been sanctioned for cannabis use in recent years, as 2016 Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling was suspended from international competition for the same offense last year in Singapore.
Genuine question to those “lowers stress so ped” arguments. What is the difference between this and lets say beet root powder, which can lower inflammation, or can expand blood vessels for increased blood flow. Wouldnt THAT be a PED? Both are natural plants. Not saying beet root should be banned, Im just opening the argument of, there plenty of non banned things people use that have scientific proof of benefits. Why ban something that most athletes use just for fun
Just walking through Ann Arbor will raise your blood THC level. Michigan is a state with legalized marijuana use and has led to a haze over AA.
Does Cannabis change things like the fear response. Yes. Is that beneficial (performance enhancing) if you are doing an reverse off the 3 meter. Yes. And the banned substance list is not sport specific. I don’t think Wyatt Davis got caught using a drug to enhance his performance so I don’t consider him a drug cheat. But he did break a rule that exists for a reason.
Well…they do actually have sport specific banned lists.
For example, Beta-blockers are prohibited in competition in archery, automobile, billiards, darts, golf, mini-golf, shooting, skiing, snowboarding, freediving, spearfishing, and underwater target shooting.
Out of competition in freediving, spearfishing, underwater target shooting, regular shooting, and archery.
Then there’s a section on “substances of abuse” of which the code writes: “Pursuant to Article 4.2.3 of the Code, Substances of Abuse are substances that
are identified as such because they are frequently abused in society outside of
the context of sport. The following are designated Substances of Abuse: cocaine,
diamorphine (heroin), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA/”ecstasy”),
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).”
Some of those things are also banned because of performance enhancing properties. I would imagine… Read more »
You are right. Page 19. I got to page 17 and gave up. I was once a sprinter, of course.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2023-09/2024list_en_final_22_september_2023.pdf
“While the matter was pending, USADA determined that Davis violated his provisional suspension by participating in an activity authorized/organized by a Code Signatory (USA Swimming), meaning he does not receive credit for any time he spent provisionally suspended.“
He has no results since nationals, so did he do a clinic or something?
Does this affect his ability to train with UM?
Years of NCAA eligibility remaining?
Effectively 9 months for something that is a “Substance of abuse” only because of outdated classification seems way harsh!
You can’t train with a WADA-umbrella team or coach during your suspension.
Details are thin (we reached out to Wyatt but no response yet), but possibly relatively-harmless scenarios in play:
-He trained with the college team, which is not WADA umbrella, but at the same time as pros, which made the practice suddenly WADA-umbrella
-Similar scenario to above, but the coaches are maybe considered WADA umbrella because they have dual roles, even if that role specifically was as the college coach?
-Trained with Club Wolverine or Carmel
-Private training with a USA Swimming coach
Given that the sanction acknowledged that it was not performance enhancing and that the purpose of the suspension is diversionary for drugs of… Read more »
If the goal is to “straighten this young man out before he goes down a bad path”,
kinda forgot he got third in the 50 back at nationals last year
Ah yes, weed. That not performance enhancing recreational (or medical) substance that is not addictive & is overall less harmful to health than alcohol.
This is so so silly.
I’ve relied on medical cannabis for nerve pain management for many years. Helps my performance blazing through a bag of Doritos, particularly at night, when I use it.
Really rooting for this guy to crush it at Olympic Trials.
I know, I know, we’ve all read the marijuana propaganda.
But like…it can be addictive in some cases.
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive
highly addictive now.
Alcohol is also addictive. So is smoking or vaping. Doesn’t mean we need to ban everything addictive.
don’t stun them with science.
Cannabis is addictive. Yes, in some cases, but it’s less addictive than chocolate. What the issue should be is cannabis a PED? The answer to that is certainly no.
It lowkey has medicinal benefits. Unfortunately, I believe USADA is partly right with banning marijuana. Been able to be crazy efficient in the water with the right strain. CBD’s benefits are massive.
Til we break down stereotypes, this is the way things are with THC.
Best of luck Wyatt, fr my dude, you’re an amazing backstroker.
used properly it may help in some cases. Used recreationally it can ruin lives.
Girlfriend who stabbed boyfriend 108 times in marijuana-induced episode smoked strain with more than 30% THC (nypost.com)
mute point. people do sh*t like that when sober too and its because they’re not mentally stable/have issues. doesnt matter how much THC the weed had, for 99.9% of people smoking that they would just be super high/sick but not go mad.
look at the comments under the story
this women got away with m*rder thats all
“An athlete is able to have their period of ineligibility further reduced from three months to one if they satisfactorily complete a Substance of [sic] Abuse treatment program approved by USADA.”
“With his period of ineligibility beginning on Jan. 2, it will conclude on April 2, meaning he will miss the entirety of the college campaign.”
Could Davis not just endure a USADA-approved program, which would then allow him to return to competition as early as February 2 (i.e., tomorrow)?
the good kush tho
Whoever wonders why is it banned if it is legal, it really is banned so you should not be using it. And think what happen when you use and then you understand why it is banned.
You get lazy and indifferent so you swim faster?
No. It reduces pain levels during high physical stress (like competitive swimming), thus enhancing performance. It is therefore indirectly indeed a PED.
So pain management is a performance enhancer now?
A lot of things that are banned are banned because they enhance recovery (aka reduce soreness, pain management, etc). The line is so blurry about what’s legal and what’s not, though….
Oh trust me I know, I’ve made that point in other posts. (Though I forget most of my really good talking points about it, ugh.)
It’s Nelson Muntz going “idk gotta nuke something” but for banning drugs.
…if it demonstrably enhances performance, then… yes? Wouldn’t it be much easier to come home fast in a 200 fly if your shoulders didn’t hurt?
So should all pain meds be banned?
What about having surgery to repair a frayed shoulder? That’s far more performance-enhancing than just dulling some pain, it lets the performance occur at all.
Except surgery just returns the body to its normal state whereas cannabis gives the consumer an advantage beyond what their body is naturally capable of.
Different pain meds work in different ways. Some may not affect recovery during high performance the same way cannabis does. I assume these properties are tested for and taken into account during decision making about the legality of certain drugs vs others.
I got surgery on my eyes and my vision improved far better than it ever had been before, naturally.
And think about it, without that surgery I could not compete at all. I could still compete without weed. Which one had a greater impact on one’s performance?
You would be assuming incorrectly!
Would I? Since neither of us works at WADA I’m gonna need more than simple denial (correct me if you indeed work with them though) . If new information didn’t surface about the biochemical properties of drugs there would be barely any reason to continously change their legality in sports.
Your eyesight may have improved beyond what it was capable of before, but not beyond what a human eye is generally capable of. In any case, eye surgery is not a great example, because basically no other body part is capable of healing to a better state than it was in before injury, and it only indirectly influences physical performance anyway. No human body produces cannabis on the other… Read more »
Plenty of fast swimmers and good athletes smoke weed. This guy gets high and swims fast. Saying “it’s banned so you shouldn’t use” is not a productive way to discuss the policy. It’s on the banned list; doesn’t mean the swim community can’t push back for a more progressive policy.