Olympic champion swimmer Ryan Lochte has won the 200m individual medley race at the US Championships to claim his first national title after sitting out a 14-month ban for violating doping rules.
The 35-year-old clocked a time of 1 minute 57.76 seconds, taking a step forward to qualify for the national Olympic team.
“This was a lot easier 10 years ago,” Lochte said after his victory. “I’ve got a lot of ways to go for 2020.”
Lochte was banned for 14 months after posting an image of himself on social media receiving an intravenous infusion.
Further investigation conducted by the US Anti-Doping Association (USADA) revealed that the swimmer received an infusion of vitamin B-12 which is permitted, but exceeded the approved level of 100mL in a 12-hour period, committing a violation that led to his lengthy ban.
The enforced doping hiatus led to him missing the 2019 World Championships in South Korea.
Lochte was also embroiled in scandal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, where he was accused of lying after claiming to have been the victim of a robbery at a gas station.