Former Alabama swimming national champion Kensey McMahon suspended for failed doping test

Former Alabama swimming national champion Kensey McMahon has been suspended for a failed doping test, the U.S. Anti-Doping Association announced Tuesday. An independent arbitrator made the decision.

McMahon received a four-year ban after testing positive for vadadustat – a drug that is “non-specified substance in the category of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics,” according to the USADA – at the U.S. National Championships in July 2023. The arbitration hearing was delayed so she could investigate the source of the positive result, according to the announcement.

In addition, all of McMahon’s results on or after July 1, 2023, will be disqualified. However, that will not impact her figures from her career at Alabama because the NCAA does not fall under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s purview, according to SwimSwam.

“In cases involving a positive test for a non-specified substance such as vadadustat, an athlete is required to prove that their use of the prohibited substance was not intentional in order to qualify for a reduction from the default four-year sanction under the rules,” the USADA said in its announcement. “McMahon received a four-year sanction because she was unable to establish through concrete evidence that her violation was not intentional.

“The arbitrator did not conclude that McMahon intended to cheat, only that she could not meet her burden of proof under the rules.

In September, McMahon announced her plans to take a “pause,” but didn’t explain why. Tuesday, addressed the suspension in an Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kensey McMahon ◡̈ (@kenseymac)

“Many of you know that I put swimming on pause late last summer, but very few know why,” McMahon wrote. “God has given us His great and precious promises to give us hope, joy, wisdom and strength for whatever we are facing in our day. No one talks about how hard it is to trust God and His timing- how heavy it can feel to surrender to His will for you and to wait faithfully.

“But God is worth the wait and what He has in store for you will be greater than what you could have imagined or planned. Willing to help, asking for help, and remaining faithful through it all.”

Kensey McMahon put together a standout career at Alabama, winning the national championship in the 500-meter free and 1650-meter free in 2023. She also won the SEC mile title that season as she capped off a college tenure that included nine All-American honors and four straight top-eight finishes in the 1650.