CrossFit has announced a second athlete to have failed an in-competition drug test at the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games. Svetlana Veselova, a masters athlete in the women’s 35-39 year-old age group division, tested positive for Meldonium.
Veselova did not appeal the test result and has received a 4-year sanction from August 3, the date of the drug test. Her sanction will run through August 3, 2027.
Veselova, from Russia, finished 5th in her division at the CrossFit Games prior to failing the drug test.
Meldonium is an anti-ischemic drug that has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List since 2016. Meldonium is thought to increase endurance, improve recovery and enhance the CNS.
Maria Sharapova, the former world number one tennis player tested positive for Meldonium. Other Russian athletes in ice dancing, boxing, cycling and ice hockey have all been caught using the banned substance over the years.
Two other CrossFit athletes currently serving a sanction tested positive for Meldonium. Lefteris Theofanidis and Bernard Luzi both submitted a sample containing the banned substance.
Veselova’s announcement is the second athlete to be announced from this year’s CrossFit Games. Another masters athlete, Carolina Gutierrez, tested positive for GW501516 and has appealed the findings.
