When athletes make the decision to cheat it doesn\u2019t just rob rivals of podiums and prize money, but rips away everything we hold dear about sporting competition <\/p>
\u201cDoping,\u201d Sebastian Kienle<\/a> said, \u201cdestroys everything.\u201d In the \u2028fallout from US triathlete Collin Chartier being banned for a positive EPO test<\/a> in April, the 2014 Ironman world champion can be forgiven the hyperbole.<\/strong><\/p>\n Kienle hands in his pro card at \u2028the end of the year<\/strong><\/a>, and perhaps, \u2028as 42-year-old, fellow long-distance pro Tim O\u2019Donnell stated \u2013 having witnessed his own wife, three-time Kona champ Mirinda Carfrae<\/strong><\/a>, retire in March \u2013 he\u2019s glad he\u2019s in the twilight of his career, too.<\/p>\n Chartier has become a pariah for his partial doping admission, perhaps even more so than had he plead the \u2018BS burrito\u2019 defence (as \u2028he called it in his statement), \u2028claimed tainted supplements, and \u2028left a shred of doubt.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an irony in that by saying he took the blood-booster without help, but didn\u2019t start until two months after a career-defining $100k race win, he\u2019s faced more opprobrium than had he said nothing at all.<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s a narrative that struggles for plausibility. Collin knows this, too.<\/p>\n Cheating robs clean rivals of celebrations, profile and prize \u2028money. Yet it goes further, bringing the entire elite sport into disrepute, casting a cloud over coaches, training partners and those who choose the same training environments. Admiration turns quickly to suspicion, even paranoia.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what doping does. \u2028It tears away trust. When \u2028an athlete withdraws from a race for \u2018personal reasons\u2019, we doubt. When they cite injury, we doubt.<\/p>\n When organisations pledge increased rigour to weed out cheats, we doubt motives. Do they want \u2028clean sport or to minimise reputational damage?<\/p>\nA pariah for admission<\/h2>\n
Suspicious minds\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n