Canadian Olympic hero Penny Oleksiak shares more thoughts on ban from swimming
Canadian swimming star Penny Oleksiak has more things to say after a major suspension was imposed on her last month.
In November, the seven-time Olympic medallist was handed a two-year ban from competitive swimming, after three whereabouts violations resulted in multiple missed drug tests. While she never failed a drug test, Oleksiak was not able to be reached by testers on multiple occasions.
Earlier this week, the 25-year-old Toronto native had opened up for the first time in a written and video interview with CBC’s Devin Heroux from her current training location in Los Angeles, citing a mixture of work obligations and forgetting to update her info for her final violation.
On Thursday, Oleksiak posted a statement to social media thanking Heroux and the CBC crew, while also adding a few follow-up thoughts.
“I’ve really felt the support over these last few days, and I can’t tell you how much it’s meant to me,” Oleksiak said in the statement. “These past couple months have been some of the hardest of my life. I’ve struggled a lot, and there were days when it was tough to even show up for myself. I’ve had to sit with my mistakes and be completely honest about where I fell short. Updating my whereabouts was my responsibility, and I didn’t do it. I own that.”
Oleksiak doubled down on her stance of being a clean athlete, adding that it “hurts” that people think she may have been using performance-enhancing drugs.
The International Testing Agency stated that the whereabouts failures occurred between October 2024 and July 2025.
Athlete whereabouts boil down to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s drug testing program. Any athlete selected for such a test is provided a 60-minute window in which they are available to take any required test. Essentially, every part of an athlete’s day is to be provided 90 days in advance, though it can be updated should changes to the itinerary occur.
“[The suspension] left me determined to come back stronger, not only for myself but also for my teammates. I’ve learned a lot about myself through all of this, and I’m doing my best to grow and show up better,” Oleksiak added in Thursday’s statement. “I’m honestly so grateful for the people who stayed beside me through all of this. Your messages, your kindness, and your belief in me helped hold me up on days when I really needed it. I’m committed to making this next chapter my best one yet.”
Oleksiak had previously mentioned to CBC her plans to keep training with a goal of heading to the 2028 Olympics. She is currently unable to train at a club or private pool as part of her suspension, and has been training via public swims in Los Angeles.