Olympic Heroes Fall from Grace

Olympic Heroes Fall from Grace

Competing at the Olympics is a dream for many athletes and winning a medal is the pinnacle of their athletic careers. Some athletes go the extra mile to prepare themselves to perform in this worldwide arena. However, for some athletes, that extra mile means doping up for the games. Anabolic steroids give competitors an unfair advantage over the rest of the competition. When these athletes are caught, the consequences are heartbreaking and their reputations are tarnished.

For Crystal Cox, American gold medalist relay runner (oh wait…former gold medalist), judgment day arrived 8 years after she competed as a team and won the gold medal in the 2004 Sydney Olympic games. Cox admitted to using performance drugs and was stripped of her gold medal. We know that drugs don’t just affect the drug abuser but others close to the user, for instance in the 2004 American 4×400 meter medley team. Cox may not be the only one to suffer the consequences of her actions. Her entire team will probably be stripped of their gold medals because of her use of performance drugs; all of that hard work for nothing.

It saddens me that these amazingly talented athletes feel the need to take anabolic steroids, be stripped of their achievements and then suffer the consequences. For those that continuously use anabolic steroids to enhance their performance, their luck will soon run out. Come share your thoughts with Recovery Connection on Twitter.