The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced today that Annette Salmeen (Menlo Park, Calif.), a 1996 U.S. Olympic gold medalist in the sport of swimming, has been elected by the USADA Board of Directors to serve a four- year term in the USADA athlete board member position.
“We are extremely pleased and honored that Annette Salmeen has agreed to join our board,” said USADA Chief Executive Officer Terry Madden. “Her experiences as an elite Olympic athlete combined with her scientific background will bring tremendous value to USADA’s mission to provide clean athletes a safe and level playing field.”
Salmeen captured a gold medal in the 800m freestyle relay as a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team. Earlier that season, as co-captain of the women’s swim team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she became the NCAA champion in the women’s 200m butterfly and received UCLA’s Outstanding Female Athlete Award. She received another prestigious honor that year, the NCAA Top VIII Award, presented to only eight NCAA student- athletes annually for excellence in academics and athletics.
Salmeen graduated with honors from UCLA in 1997 and completed her Doctorate of Philosophy degree in biochemistry as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in 2001. She is currently conducting post doctoral research in molecular pharmacology at Stanford University Medical School.
Salmeen was a nominee from the United States Olympic Committee Athletes’ Advisory Council (AAC) and was voted into office by the USADA Board, in accordance with the USADA bylaws. She assumes the position vacated by Peter Breen, a 1992 U.S. Olympian in figure skating and ice dancing, who served as an athlete board member since March 2000 and recently completed his term.
“On behalf of the USADA Board, we extend our appreciation to Peter for his outstanding service over the last four years,” said Madden.
USADA is responsible for managing the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. USADA is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.
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