Morgan Hamm Warned After Positive Drug Test (Updated)

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) issued a release yesterday afternoon announcing that Morgan Hamm, who was named to his third Olympic team last month, tested positive for triamcinolone acetonide, a cortisone-like steroid, on night two of the 2008 U.S. National Championships (May 24).

Triamcinolone acetonide is recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics (USAG) and the International Gymnastics Federation as a “prohibited substance,” but is allowed under the care of a physician with a “therapeutic use exemption,” which Hamm failed to obtain prior to receiving a May 2 injection in his left ankle from Dr. Mark Triffon.

"It was an innocent mistake," Hamm told the Associated Press (AP). "You always need to get the forms, that's the most important thing, and that's my failure."

Injections of steroid-based anti-inflammatories to reduce pain and swelling are far from unusual in gymnastics, where joint injuries and sprains are commonplace. Hamm is the third athlete in eight days to receive a “public warning” from USADA following a failure to fill out the therapeutic use exemption form prior to competition.

“It’s really an honest mistake,” Hamm’s agent, Sheryl Shade, told Inside Gymnastics this morning. “He’s embarrassed more than anything else. … Morgan’s kicking himself for not knowing he had to fill out the form, and [coach] Miles [Avery] is kicking himself because he did know, but didn’t remind Morgan.”

“I’ve never had an athlete that had to fill out this form, ever,” Avery told Inside. “You go to the doctor and they say, ‘This is what you need to do,’ and you do it. You don’t think about, ‘Oh, and I also have to fill out this piece of paper.’ I mean, how many gymnasts get cortisone shots? Blaine (Wilson) had how many over the years, and we never had to fill out this form. It’s just not the first thing you think of.”

In addition to the “public warning,” USADA has nullified all of Hamm’s day two National results, “including the forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.”

Hamm, who was not among those drug-tested on night one at USAs, will lose his U.S. National title on floor, and his third place finishes on vault (tie) and high bar will also be wiped from the record books.

The most problematic result could be Hamm losing the points he earned on night two which qualified him to the U.S. National Team and advanced him to Trials. Counting only night one’s point totals, Hamm would have finished 13^th in the standings (24 points), instead of sixth, missing automatic qualification by three spots. (The athlete who would have moved into the top ten is Justin Spring, who is also on the 2008 Olympic Team, which could mitigate any conflict.)

"USA Gymnastics has received notification from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency regarding Morgan Hamm's positive drug test and resulting public warning," USAG said in a brief release issued late Thursday. "USA Gymnastics will review this situation to determine how this may impact his qualification to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.”

“They absolutely have to do their due diligence,” Avery said of USAG’s response. “Looking at the math, Morgan still beat three guys [in the point totals] who moved on to Trials—even if you take out his second day scores. I’ve looked at it every way, and I still think he would have been added to the [National] team, moved on to Trials, and been picked [for the Olympic Team,] even if he hadn’t competed that second day. And I think they, USA Gymnastics, will see that, too.”

Hamm, who has said he was “shocked” when notification came that he’d tested positive shortly after Trials (USADA confidentiality prevents athletes from disclosing test results until after an official release has been issued), submitted all of his medical records to USADA.

"We have absolutely no concern it was intended to enhance performance," USADA general counsel Bill Bock told the AP. "We are absolutely confident it was an anti-inflammatory, taken for a legitimate medical purpose."

Avery said Hamm is still training well, but admitted the entire situation has been difficult. “It’s distracting, no question,” Hamm’s coach said. “It’s something else he needs to worry about and, yeah, he does bring that to the gym. It does hinder his training, but he’s still hitting routines. It’s emotionally draining, but this is the Olympics, and he’ll focus and do what he needs to do for that.”

Artistic gymnastics is a sport rarely touched by doping, but Hamm is not the first gymnast to be shocked by a positive test for a substance he didn’t know was disallowed.

In 2000, Romanian gymnast Andrea Raducan was stripped of her all-around gold medal after testing positive for pseudoephedrine, a common cold pill ingredient. Though the Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared Raducan of any personal wrongdoing, and pseudoephedrine was later removed from the banned substance list, her medal was never reinstated. (Pseudoephedrine was originally banned as a “masking agent,” a tactic more sophisticated testing made obsolete. It is acknowledged that Raducan received no competitive benefit from the drug, which she claimed at the time made her “dizzy.”)

Ironically, Hamm’s public warning came the same day twin brother Paul, the reigning Olympic Champion, was cleared to resume training after breaking his hand at the National Championships May 22.

Hamm, who tumbled and worked out on high bar and pommel horse yesterday, is planning to test himself on all six events in today’s workout, under the supervision of hand surgeon Dr. Lawrence Lubbers, who will advise Hamm on what skills he should still omit to protect his repaired right hand.

“I heard he did a huge double layout and just lit up, smiling,” Shade said of Paul’s return. “He was just so excited to get back, to get out there and get going.”

The entire men’s U.S. Olympic Team will meet in Colorado Springs, Colo. July 13 for a 10-day, pre-Olympic training camp.

UPDATE: Morgan Hamm has posted a video message sharing his response to the USADA result on the twins’ website: www.makingtheolympics.com.

“I didn’t know you had to get a therapeutic use exemption to use that drug,” Hamm says in the video. “I came back after Olympic Trials and they said I had a positive test, so I was a little bit upset. I didn’t know what I did. I felt really bad. … It was an innocent mistake. … It wasn’t performance enhancing at all. It was something I did to get through with the pain and help with the inflammation.”