High-profile doping scandals in athletics

High-profile athletics doping scandals are far from uncommon. Not so long ago it became known that athletes were widely using banned drugs. If official papers are to be believed, not only athletes were involved in the conspiracy, but also doctors and coaches. They all tried to hide the fact that the athletes were using various stimulants. One can also think of other doping scandals.

Ben Johnson, 1988

In 1988, Johnson’s Olympic victory in the 100 metres was one of the most talked about events in sports history. It was then that the athlete managed to crush the champion, C. Lewis. The man also broke the world record with a time of 9.79 seconds. They even made a film about it.

Three days after his victory, it became known that the athlete had managed to win by unfair means. It turned out he’d taken stanozolol. It’s an illegal steroid for athletes. It turned out that he didn’t believe in himself and thought that he couldn’t win without doping.

Moreover, over the following years the judges began to doubt the results of the 6 competitors in the final race at the same Olympics. This is why the 1988 race has been dubbed the dirtiest.

Ilona Slupianek-Schoknecht, 1977

Ilona is the shot putter. She tested positive for doping at the European Championships in ’77. The woman achieved an impressive result of 21.20m.

She was disqualified from the event for one year, as Ilona had broken the championship rules. She was expected to teach other athletes the lesson of fair play.

After this event, the woman returned to Germany and began to train there. She continued to use steroids. The Germans began testing athletes for doping before sending them to compete in other countries.

Ilona competed again at the Olympics in the Russian capital in 1980. She managed to set a record in the shot put. Her result was 22.45 metres. Nobody had managed to break the record for four years. Furthermore, the GDR sports system actively developed a steroid programme. It was with its help that athletes in Germany obtained gold medals.

Tyson Gay, 2015

Tyson is a sprinter from the USA. He managed to win gold at the world championships in 2007. A little later he repeated the success of Maurice Green. Exactly one year later Usain Bolt became a real star in the sports world. Tyson was worried about this, as it was getting harder and harder to win.

In 2013 it became known that the American tested positive for doping. The sprinter himself admitted that he had indeed taken a banned drug. This did not prevent him from taking part in races and winning again in the future. Moreover, he had a chance to win gold at the World Championships in Beijing (2015), but the athlete slipped at the finish line. Usain Bolt took the win. 

Lilia Shobukhova, 2010

Liliya gave an interview and admitted that she paid the WFLA money to hide her positive test result for a banned drug. Evgenia Pecherina confessed to the same.

Liliya was disqualified for two years because her biological passport was found to be inaccurate.

A film was even made about her doping. There was footage made by a hidden camera. It showed Maria Savinova admitting to taking a banned drug. The woman was able to win gold at the 2012 Olympics.

Doping among athletes is not uncommon. That is why no one is surprised that some winners have used banned drugs.