What level did she actually register and how is that in comparison to all the other tests she had?
I am cynical about claims regarding contaminated meat but if the levels are extremely low it is unlikely to have come from administered drugs. The levels are way higher.
I guess you have never heard of micro-doping?
The levels are set at what they are for a reason. Saying that the number was barely above the limit doesn’t provide any kind of compelling evidence it was unintentional. If an athlete is being professionally doped, the only positive you might expect would be one like this, because the levels are being carefully controlled to stay below the limits (or significantly limiting the windows when they could be above).
And I am not saying she was intentionally doping, just pointing out the specific level she tested at doesn’t provide conclusive proof of how the substance got into her system (intentional or unintentional)
it’s a tough call. i’m not sure whether she’s guilty - really, none of us are.
part of me is cynical and thinks, “yeah, basically everyone is doping. she screwed up her cycle and got busted.” another part of me thinks, “damn, i’m not too careful about what i eat myself - i wonder if something scary like that could happen to me, and then ruin my credibility. how would i clear my name?”
i also wonder what the reaction would be if, instead of being a blonde-haired all-american girl named shelby, she was an obscure mid-career romanian named, say, iona draganescu. when it’s someone you feel you (vaguely) know and have followed, it’s a heartbreaking story of an unintentional positive, but you have to admit that if this were a stranger from far away, the “i must have eaten some tainted pork” story sounds far-fetched.
If she tested before and after in close proximity I would be more convinced.
I am not saying she did or didn’t dope but merely asking what level was it. If it is minuscule and barely above the legal limit so be it. However, if she had a test just before and just after it could possibly point to being an accidental contamination.
I don’t really have an opinion on the case in question as I don’t know enough about it, however it never ceases to amaze me how many elite athletes seem to eat food from questionable sources. Maybe they are all just really unlucky to get tested right after having eaten tainted food.
Having read a bit more about it, I am absolutely amazed that a track athlete and her coach have both never heard of Nandrolone. Maybe it is because I am British and of an age where I grew up seeing Linford Christie on the TV constantly, but I am hugely shocked that neither of them have even heard of it.
These Russians are always cheating. Oh wait, she’s American? In that case I believe she is clean, plus she seems nice and nice people don’t dope. Her and her coach haven’t even heard of nandrolone.
This isn’t Armstrong level denial but still hilarious. She’s a doper, get over it.
Having read a bit more about it, I am absolutely amazed that a track athlete and her coach have both never heard of Nandrolone. Maybe it is because I am British and of an age where I grew up seeing Linford Christie on the TV constantly, but I am hugely shocked that neither of them have even heard of it.
yeah, that part just doesn’t pass the basic smell test. i’m a mediocre age-group triathlete, and i’ve heard of nandrolone. hell, everyone and their brother was taking that stuff 20 years ago. there were many people busted for it, including endurance athletes - dieter baumann, spencer smith, jurgen zack, olivier bernhard, etc etc etc…
I’m very skeptical of anyone who holds records being clean. After all there was a time when T&F athletes could more or less dope with immunity. Look at how many female world records are still there from the 80s and 90s.
What level did she actually register and how is that in comparison to all the other tests she had?
I am cynical about claims regarding contaminated meat but if the levels are extremely low it is unlikely to have come from administered drugs. The levels are way higher.
Since she is going for the contaminated meat bs like Contador, my guess is that the levels must be low enough. A contaminated supplement could be the real source. Nandrolone stays in the system for months, so seems like a dumb drug choice. Past cases have shown that admitting to a contaminated supplement almost always ends up in a conviction (could be wrong here). However, to my knowledge, no athlete has been successful at using the contaminated meat excuse unless they were at a region that could actually have contaminated meat (i.e. clen in China and Mexico, some soccer players come to mind).
In my view, the sketchy food truck excuse is really not helping her image among educated fans.
What level did she actually register and how is that in comparison to all the other tests she had?
I am cynical about claims regarding contaminated meat but if the levels are extremely low it is unlikely to have come from administered drugs. The levels are way higher.
Since she is going for the contaminated meat bs like Contador, my guess is that the levels must be low enough. A contaminated supplement could be the real source. Nandrolone stays in the system for months, so seems like a dumb drug choice. Past cases have shown that admitting to a contaminated supplement almost always ends up in a conviction (could be wrong here). However, to my knowledge, no athlete has been successful at using the contaminated meat excuse unless they were at a region that could actually have contaminated meat (i.e. clen in China and Mexico, some soccer players come to mind).
In my view, the sketchy food truck excuse is really not helping her image among educated fans.
It’s actually happened a few times recently (this is from an article from another endurance news/forum website):
2017: The US record holder in the 800 meters, Ajee’ Wilson, tested positive for zeranol but wasn’t suspended after USADA ruled that the zeranol likely stemmed from contaminated meat. 2018: Jarrion Lawson, the silver medalist in the long jump at the 2017 World Championships, was suspended by the AIU for testing positive for the steroid trenbolone. He was forced to miss almost two years of competition, but was ultimately cleared after a Court of Arbitration for Sport panel overturned his ban. 2018: Will Claye, a three-time Olympic medalist in the long/triple jump, tested positive for clenbuterol but avoided a suspension after USADA believed his explanation of eating contaminated meat.2020: Brenda Martinez, the 2013 World Championship silver medalist in the 800 meters, tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic which can be used as a masking agent. USADA issued a no-fault finding and Martinez avoided a ban after she proved the hydrochlorothiazide stemmed from a contaminated antidepressant medication she was taking.
Having read a bit more about it, I am absolutely amazed that a track athlete and her coach have both never heard of Nandrolone. Maybe it is because I am British and of an age where I grew up seeing Linford Christie on the TV constantly, but I am hugely shocked that neither of them have even heard of it.
I believe that Shelby is a doper and that Jerry, Shalane, and Shelby are liars.
The parade of coincidence is absurd. She gets popped after a 2-year stretch of dominance where she breaks 2 significant American records and looks completely jacked.
The pork alibi comes from a study in which the offal came from uncastrated boars (virtually ALL male pigs raised for meat are castrated) and the study participants ate over 2/3 of a pound of that stuff in order to have the same levels of nandrolone in their system as Shelby.
I know she’s an elite endurance athlete, but can she actually eat that much offal?!?! Would anybody actually serve that much of it in a damned burrito?
They “never heard of nandrolone” and claim to care about clean sport.
i know it isn’t proof, but that progression from having bests of 4:03 and 15:06 at 23 (and looking to be hitting a plateau) - to 3:54 and 14:23 over the following few years need an explanation. Inflexion points in performance for those in their mid-20s, already training full-time and performing at a very high level don’t just happen. As i said, not proof, but needing an explanation.
…and i was a fan of Jerry and the BTC.
I’m a former pharmacist, and competitive runner for over 45 years who has more knowledge of PEDS than most (I’d even go to lectures on testing practices), but still find it unbelievable that any top class athlete and coach wouldn’t have heard of nandrolone. If it was my job i would know the list inside out.
If it was my job i would know the list inside out.
Know the list, know the cases of false positives , and don’t do or take those things, just to be sure - don’t use the false positives as examples of potential excuses later on
#just_DONT_do_it
If you have to skip the taco truck, or use a different inhaler or ant-depressant for a while, that’s better than being labelled a doper for the rest of your career
Guilty as charged. This is a lame ass excuse. They’re grabbing at straws. She should admit she doped. Popped hot and got caught. End of story.
BTW she does look crazy jacked. In one pic on Insta she is flexing beside a dude. I know she is a professional athlete, but good gracious her body doesn’t look natural. That is probably because it isn’t natural.