Tennis star Maria Sharapova and elite distance runners busted for same drug
Tennis star Maria Sharapova announced that she failed a drug test during the Australian Open for the use of meldonium.
Mildonium only added to the WADA Prohibited List on 1 January 2016. Seems a lot of athletes who were already using it missed the change.
— Sports Integrity SII (@Sport_Integrity) March 7, 2016
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova announced today that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open, a tennis major that took place Jan. 18-31, 2016. Sharapova admitted to using meldonium, a drug used to treat issues related to poor blood flow (like angina, for example) and which also enhances endurance.
RELATED: World 1,500m champion suspended for banned substance.
Ethiopian Endeshaw Negesse and Ethiopian-born Abeba Aregawi have recently tested positive for meldonium. The World Anti-Doping Agency only added the drug to its banned substances list on Jan. 1, 2016, according to sports scientist Ross Tucker. Negesse won the 2015 Tokyo Marathon while Aregawi, who now represents Sweden, is a world champion in the 1,500m.
A third unnamed Ethiopian athlete has also been linked to the drug.
Meldonium is manufactured in Latvia but is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. Sharapova currently resides in Bradenton, Fla. and is one of the most notable female athletes in the world. The 28-year-old has been the number one ranked tennis player numerous times throughout her career.
RELATED: What do you think of tennis star Roger Federer’s running form?
She claims to have been using the drug since 2006.
Below is the statement from the World Tennis Association, the governing body for the sport:
#WTA CEO Steve Simon’s statement in response to @MariaSharapova‘s announcement. pic.twitter.com/DhasT9Mrpo
— WTA (@WTA) March 7, 2016
Sharapova’s announcement can be found here:
Right, so that’s one tennis player to go with…ummm…3 Ethiopians so far. This drug is on a streak https://t.co/F2r185Hk1e
— Ross Tucker (@Scienceofsport) March 7, 2016
Track and field has been hit with two big name doping busts this week, specifically from the London Olympics, including the aforementioned 1,500m world champion Aregawi as well as Gamze Bulut, the 2012 Olympic 1,500m silver medallist.
Below is what the 1,500m final would look like without athletes who have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs. Details on athletes and their linked to PEDs can be found here.
Canadians Hilary Stellingwerff and Nicole Sifuentes both missed out on making the final in the event.
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
