Every once in a while, an athlete comes up with an unusual “too good to be true” explanation to explain how they got a positive drug test. Some of the more outrageous excuses to explain a positive drug test included ghosts, an absorbed twin while being in utero, and being struck by lightning.
Sometimes, there’s some actual logic behind it and if that’s proven to be the case, the person may be cleared of punishment. Many times, this involved some sort of physical contact or love making with a significant other and the other person transmitted the drug in question to create a positive test.
On Thursday, the US Anti-Doping Agency cleared two Olympic athletes of punishment due to testing positive via sexual transmission. US Olympic boxer Ginny Fuchs, had originally tested positive for “letrozole metabolite bis-(4-cyanophenyl)methanol, as well as GW1516 (GW501516) metabolites, GW1516 sulfone and GW1516 sulfoxide.”
The USADA ruled that “Fuchs’ male partner was using therapeutic doses of letrozole and GW1516 and the low amounts of letrozole metabolite and GW1516 metabolites detected in her sample were consistent with recent exposure to the substances via sexual transmission.” And because of the specific combination and the fact her positive drug test came in a non-competitive period, Fuchs was cleared.
USADA told Houston Olympic boxer @GinnyFuchsUSA,who tested positive for prohibited substance,was determined to have been ingested by her(unprotected sex)without fault or negligence&won’t face ineligibility.USA Boxing told Fuchs the USADA sanction of”No Fault”is the proper outcome pic.twitter.com/ez0gkS7fah
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) June 11, 2020
US Olympic softball player Madilyn Nickles was also subject to a positive drug test. Nickles tested positive for “LGD-4033 (also known as Ligandrol) metabolite, dihydroxy-LGD-4033.”
Like Fuchs, the USADA ruled that “Nickles’ male partner was using therapeutic doses of LGD-4033 and the low amount of LGD-4033 metabolite detected in her urine sample was consistent with recent exposure to LGD-4033 via sexual transmission.” Nickles was subsequently cleared.
Both athletes were determined not at fault and they are free to train for the (possible) Tokyo Olympics in 2021. While some may argue that ignorance isn’t a defense, it’s certainly a common sense move by the USADA when they figured out it was a legit mistake and not some sort of made up story.
[USADA/Photo: Ginny Fuchs and USA Softball]
