3 Athletes Banned from the 2017 Games For Using Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Nick Thomas, a member of the CrossFit Marysville team that finished third at the West Regional, submitted a sample which came back positive for the Selective Androgen Receptor Module (SARM) ostarine.

Thomas is suspended for two years as of July 13, 2017, and will not be allowed to compete in any CrossFit-sanctioned event until July 13, 2019. CrossFit Marysville will not be allowed to compete at this year’s CrossFit Games and the team’s Regional results will be invalidated.

Well this is extremely hard to write but I will not be competing this year in the CrossFit Games and for quite a few years. The worst part about this whole thing is that my friends and teammates at CrossFit Marysville will not be competing this year; watching them train and see all the hard work they have put in to be ended like this. I absolutely love these people and would not be the athlete I am without them. I am still in the process of figuring out where the banned substance Ostarine came from. I am sorry to everyone that I have let you down. I have always lived my life by a strong moral code of integrity, hardwork and sacrifice. This is a very unfortunate situation but I will accept my sanction with honor. Always remember you are only in control of your perceptions, will and choices in life. I will be back.

A post shared by Nick Youngblood Thomas (@nick_youngblood) on Jul 21, 2017 at 7:39pm PDT

OJ Washington, a member of the Bear Republic CrossFit team that finished fourth at the California Regional, submitted a sample which came back positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine. 

Washington is suspended for two years as of July 7, 2017, and will not be allowed to compete in any CrossFit-sanctioned event until July 7, 2019. Bear Republic CrossFit will not be allowed to compete at this year’s CrossFit Games and the team’s Regional results will be invalidated.

I never thought I'd be someone writing something like this…but here I am. At this past regionals I didn't scrub the ingredients list and took a preworkout that Friday morning that contained methylhexanamine which is a banned substance/stimulant when competing at Crossfit sanctioned events. A preworkout powder you can get at any nutrition shop in any town. It was listed as a different name on the labeling but that doesn't matter, I didn't do my due diligence and research the product I was putting into my body. I was completely shocked sitting at work going about my normal day when this email pops into my inbox, I must've read and re-read it 100 times thinking this had to have been a mistake. I can't be mad or cast blame on anyone else, this is completely my fault. As an athlete competing at this level I should've known better and I accept 100% responsibility. I was in no way trying to create an advantage or cheat the system, I simply didn't look at everything on the packaging label. Some ingredients may be listed as a different name but they still may be a banned substance or in the same family of said banned substances. Regional athletes need to know everything they're putting in their bodies, no excuses. Due to my oversight Bear Republic Crossfit will not be competing at the Crossfit Games this year. It's extremely frustrating to have your season wiped out not because of a masking agent, hormone blocker, pro-hormones, SARMs, andro, steroids, T, or HGH, but because of a simple preworkout powder…but the rules are the rules and I broke them. To go from the highest of highs qualifying for the Crossfit Games to the lowest of lows is humbling to say the least. I wholeheartedly apologize to the Bear Republic community, supporters, sponsors, but most importantly the teammates I let down.

A post shared by OJ Washington (@oj_washington) on Jul 21, 2017 at 3:19pm PDT

Ryan Elrod, who finished fifth at the Atlantic Regional, submitted a sample which came back positive for the anti-estrogen clomiphene.  

Elrod is suspended for two years as of July 5, 2017, and will not be allowed to compete in any CrossFit-sanctioned event until July 5, 2019. His results from the Atlantic Regional will be invalidated. 

Talk about bumps in the road.. CF has just notified me today, that I will not be attending the Games and will serve a 2 year suspension for violating their Drug Testing policy. Really? Taking a prescribed fertility medication that helped my wife and I get pregnant, and not even listed on the banned substance list ?! AND not even taken since Feb when we were confirmed pregnant…. Ouch. Seems harsh to me. Think I cheated?… fine, I don't want to compete if you think I earned it unfairly…. I know I didn't. I know how hard I worked and how the programming was favorable to me at Regionals. I'm sad and hurt. I'm not mad at CF, they can make their own decisions and enforce whatever rules they feel necessary to keep a level playing field. I feel this is unfair. Please let me know your thoughts…. Be truthful, I want to know. @crossfitgames @crossfit @thedavecastro

A post shared by Ryan Elrod (@relrod57) on Jul 21, 2017 at 1:04pm PDT

I owe @crossfitgames an apology. I was incorrect in my last post. I said, Clomophine, the drug I was taking, was not on the banned substance list. It is grouped into a category of "anti-estrogens" and that category is listed on the list. I was uneducated and misspoke. The correct steps that I should've taken was to check with @crossfit BEFORE taking it. I would have gladly sat out the season this year, bc we have been trying for a baby for a few years. Tough lesson to learn in the end. I have read all of your comments and I want to Thank everyone. Those of you who know me, know there was no intent to cheat. I mean, no DLs at regionals??? How could I not qualify?! 2 years is a tough pill to swallow (no pun intended) I accept responsibility for my actions 100%

A post shared by Ryan Elrod (@relrod57) on Jul 22, 2017 at 6:58am PDT

Due to the late timing, CrossFit will not backfill any of the qualifying spots at the Games. 

Source:  UPDATE STUDIO: ATHLETE SUSPENSIONS FOLLOWING DRUG TESTS

The post 3 Athletes Banned from the 2017 Games For Using Performance-Enhancing Drugs appeared first on BOXROX.