Gracie Gold the skater who faced most drug testing in 2013.

[TripleToe]

USADA reports that it conducted 9,197 tests in and out of competition last year. The individual totals do not reflect tests conducted by other organizations.

Successful athletes tend to rack up bigger numbers because top finishers often face additional testing. Rupp, for instance, has dominated U.S. distance running with a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a string of national championships.

So it is not surprising to see the totals for swimmer Missy Franklin (22 times), sprinter Justin Gatlin (14), skier Bode Miller (10) and dual-sport star Lolo Jones (16) in bobsled and track.

Sprinter Tyson Gay, caught with a banned substance in his system last summer, was tested 12 times.

The 2013 statistics for other notable athletes included: speedskater Shani Davis (12), skier Lindsey Vonn (eight), tennis player Venus Williams (8) and figure skater Gracie Gold (two).

Source: http://www.latimes.com/sports/sport...ics-20140402,0,1514134.story#xh10veHF5RmSzOWP


It weird American officials worry about a female figure skater LOL
PS: sky_fly20 If You're reading this, don't hate my thread, We all love your Gracie and this is actually a good thing! haha they only do that to top athletes.

 

[Meoima]

PS: sky_fly20 If You're reading this, don't hate my thread, We all love your Gracie and this is actually a good thing! haha they only do that to top athletes.

You killed me.

 

[fleeting]

Of course swimmers top the list after that whole Phelps fiasco a few years back. And Franklin's one of the best in the world right now. No wonder she's tested so frequently, probably along with Lochte, Ledecky, Schmitt... The works.

I wonder why Gracie got tested the most though? Have there been any big drug users in skating recently?
D/W were skipped over though they're the top skaters in the US right now, unless, of course, they just weren't mentioned. Curious.

 

[sky_fly20]

was it necessary to create this much multiple threads ?
post this in All Things Gracie thread

I hope the mods close this

 

[fleeting]

was it necessary to create this much multiple threads ?
post this in All Things Gracie thread

I hope the mods close this

I'd imagine it's a new thread because every time someone says anything mildly critical (and this could be taken as more than mildly critical) in the All Things Gracie thread, you flip out over it.

 

[sky_fly20]

then why the need to create spam threads about Gracie ?
hopefully the mods move this to All things Gracie thread

 

[Mathman]

Let's see now. Gracie was tested TWO times. This put her way out in front of all tests given to figure skaters last year. No doubt it was TWICE as many as anyone else.

 

[JayW]

Side track: Does any performance enhancement drug really help a figure skater? Two most important aspects in FS are techniques and artistry. I don't see any drug can help either of them.

 

[louisa05]

Side track: Does any performance enhancement drug really help a figure skater? Two most important aspects in FS are techniques and artistry. I don't see any drug can help either of them.

I wouldn't think amphetamines would help much as skating requires precision and control. And skaters certainly don't want to bulk up so steroids are out.

 

[humbaba]

Side track: Does any performance enhancement drug really help a figure skater? Two most important aspects in FS are techniques and artistry. I don't see any drug can help either of them.

I remember quite a while back a female ice dancer tested positive for steroids; people were gobsmacked and skeptical, as this type of drug is typically associated with athletes such as football linemen, weight lifters, shot putters and the like who are trying to bulk up. However, anabolic steroids can help other types of athletes. Because these steroids increase the rate of muscle tissue production, they can help an athlete recover more quickly from some muscle injuries. Athletes can train harder and recover from work-outs faster when using anabolic steroids because their bodies more quickly repair the micro-tears and other low grade injures that occur during training.

IIRC, the ice dancer had struggled with a nagging injury some time previous to her positive test. She asked for a retest, which was negative. I've always wondered if perhaps she had taken some type of banned steroid to help heal the injury and the drug was still in her system at the first test, but cleared out by the retest.

As an aside, many years ago I had a very old, very frail dog who was prescribed Winstrol V by my veterinarian. It really helped her. She built up a little muscle and had a much better quality of life during her last year. Of course, we didn't have to worry about side effects because she already was so old and in such a state of decline. A vet probably couldn't or wouldn't prescribe a drug like that nowadays, as regulations have tightened so much.

Anyhow, I wonder if we might sometimes be throwing out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to some of the steroids. For example, if an athlete took an anabolic steroid for a limited time to promote healing of a muscle tear, should he/she be punished as though he/she were a chronic abuser? As to whether the benefits of such therapy would outweigh the health risks, I'm not qualified to say.

 

[nimi]

I wonder if we might sometimes be throwing out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to some of the steroids. For example, if an athlete took an anabolic steroid for a limited time to promote healing of a muscle tear, should he/she be punished as though he/she were a chronic abuser? As to whether the benefits of such therapy would outweigh the health risks, I'm not qualified to say.

Interesting point. :think:

 

[louisa05]

Anyhow, I wonder if we might sometimes be throwing out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to some of the steroids. For example, if an athlete took an anabolic steroid for a limited time to promote healing of a muscle tear, should he/she be punished as though he/she were a chronic abuser? As to whether the benefits of such therapy would outweigh the health risks, I'm not qualified to say.

There would be situations in some major sports where everyone would constantly have a muscle tear that responded to no other treatment. And many of the people in professional sports that would be wanting to do that have no shortage of cash to pay a doctor to confirm it. Then WADA and professional sports would have the mess of trying to sort out how much is too much.

 

[jenaj]

They probably tested her twice because the tester was so struck by her "Hollywood beauty."

 

[louisa05]

They probably tested her twice because the tester was so struck by her "Hollywood beauty."

 

[Franklin99]

They probably tested her twice because the tester was so struck by her "Hollywood beauty."

 

[karne]

I'm more surprised she was only tested twice. But maybe this doesn't include WADA data, and I imagine she was tested a bit more by WADA, as with all of them.

 

[John King]

When I read that they had tested Kaetlyn Osmond, my thought was, what did they expect to find, Nutrasweet?

 

[TripleToe]

When I read that they had tested Kaetlyn Osmond, my thought was, what did they expect to find, Nutrasweet?

or Gatorade.

 

[sky_fly20]

When I read that they had tested Kaetlyn Osmond, my thought was, what did they expect to find, Nutrasweet?

yes Osmond had more tests, The Canadian media
were even trying to paint their athletes as being targeted by doping tests in the middle of the midnight

 

[Components]

Side track: Does any performance enhancement drug really help a figure skater? Two most important aspects in FS are techniques and artistry. I don't see any drug can help either of them.

Diuretics can help keep weight off.

Other drugs can help improve stamina, muscle twitch, etc.

Yes, there are banned substances that can give an edge to figure skaters, the same way there are banned substances that can give an edge to gymnasts where techniques are also very important.

In fact, for most sports, technique is a very important aspects. Artistry is subjective, and thus an ignorable metric.