McHugh participated in the 400 IM (68th, 4:56.26) and the 200 IM at the US Olympic Trials (80th, 2:20.53). She did not make the team. In 2009, McHugh finished first in the 400 IM at the World Championships in Rome with a time of 4:50.70. The American team went on to win the gold medal that day. McHugh's time was more than five seconds faster than the next-fastest swimmer and was good for seventh all-time. At the age of 26, she is now one of the most experienced swimmers on the team. Allison McHugh is an American former swimmer who won a silver medal in the 400 m individual medley at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Born in New York City, she graduated from Princeton University in 2004. She turned professional that same year and has since moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she trains under the guidance of Dan Fitzgibbon at the Swimming Centre. On April 13, 2010, it was announced that McHugh had been suspended for two years by the United States Olympic Committee following a failed drug test during an annual physical examination. The news came as a shock to everyone, including herself.