U.S. Alpine skier Breezy Johnson has been suspended for 14 months for failing to properly provide her whereabouts for out-of-competition drug testing, as announced by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on Monday. The ban began last Oct. 10, the date of her third whereabouts failure that led to the suspension. It will end this December, just before Johnson was set to begin her World Cup season.
Athletes at Olympic-level are required to provide daily whereabouts information to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for random, out-of-competition testing. Athletes who have three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period can face a ban of up to two years, depending on the level of fault. USADA stated that Johnson’s level of fault was relatively low given the circumstances of the case, which led to the 14-month suspension. Whereabouts failures can include not being available for a drug test as scheduled, filling out forms incorrectly, or not submitting forms at all.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Johnson expressed remorse for the situation and clarified that filing failures are not a drug test failure, but rather an issue with drug testers being unable to locate her. She emphasized that all of her tests have been clean and apologized to her fans for disappointing them and missing out on racing this past season. Despite this setback, she has achieved seven World Cup podium finishes, with all of them being in downhill races and securing second or third place.
Johnson’s best Olympic downhill finish was seventh in 2018, making her the youngest woman in the top 10 at that time. She acknowledged making a human error that led to the consequences she is now facing and expressed her commitment to upholding the highest standards as an athlete but also acknowledged her humanity and capacity to make mistakes
