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Ruta Meilutyte, Olympic swimming champ, faces possible ban for missed drug tests

Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte, the surprise 2012 Olympic 100m breaststroke champion, could be suspended up to two years after missing three drug tests in a one-year span, according to the Lithuanian Swimming Federation.

Meilutyte, who earned gold as a 15-year-old and remains the youngest Olympic champion this millennium, missed drug tests on April 22, 2018; Aug. 19, 2018 and March 28.

Missing three tests in a 12-month span can be tantamount to a failed test and subject to up to a two-year ban, though it can be reduced to as little as one year depending on the athlete’s degree of fault and doping record (Meilutyte has a clean record).