Conor Dwyer, a U.S. Olympic swimmer and Chicago native, announced his retirement on Friday after receiving a 20-month ban for doping.
An arbitration panel found that he had testosterone pellets inserted into his body.
Dwyer, who won relay gold medals in 2012 and 2016, tested positive three times between Nov. 15 and Dec. 20 last year. His ban was made effective on Dec. 21, meaning he won’t be eligible for next year’s Olympics.
In an Instagram post announcing his retirement, Dwyer thanked his friends, siblings, coaches, teammates and parents.
“…To my mom who taught me how to swim, to my parents who took me to swim practice when it was 5 a.m. and subzero in Chicago and scarified so much for me because they believed in me and my dreams,” Dwyer said in the post.
The arbitration decision said Dwyer worked with a nutritionist who suggested the pellets, which are inserted into the skin tissue near the hip.
In a statement released on Friday, Dwyer said he decided to retire regardless of the arbitration ruling, and planned to pursue other interests.
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The decision said a doctor treating Dwyer claims to have contacted an official at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, who said the treatment was allowable.
But, the report said, nobody followed up with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which makes its rules and banned substances public and also has a hotline to respond to questions.
