“He Tested Positive for EPO, and Falsely Claimed…”: US Legend Reacts to Ugly Doping Controversy in Track and Field

Doping is a breach of conduct, which results in severe disciplinary actions when caught. After several attempts to dodge the incoming danger of suspension, Kiwi athlete Zane Robertson has been sentenced to a suspension for eight years. This news came after he was found guilty of using EPO, a prohibited substance for athletes. One of the first retired athletes to react on the matter was four-time Olympic gold medalist, Michael Johnson, who reacted to Robertson’s atrocious attempts to deny his misdeed.

As the NZ Herald tweeted the news through their official account, Johnson quoted his reaction to their tweet. Let’s have a look at how things were unwrapped and the petty excuses made by Robertson to mislead the investigation.

A shameful act of falsely imposing his violations on others

Zane Robertson is New Zealand’s long-distance runner who represented his nation two times in the Olympics. Before the recent eight-year ban, the CWG bronze medalist was suspended for four years regarding the first two Anti-Doping Rules Violations (ADRVs) without any opposition, on September 20 last year. However, later Robertson decided to have his B sample tested, but to no avail. But his notorious attempts to dodge the suspension didn’t end there.

After accepting the presence of doping substances in his system, he appealed to be heard. Robertson claimed to have got injected with EPO without his knowledge in Kenya. As reported by the NZ Herald, the athlete claimed that he visited a medical facility in Kenya for COVID vaccination. However, instead of being administered the COVID-19 vaccine, they conspired to inject EPO.

Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) confirmed that it was all a lie. All the “evidence” presented by him was fake. His charges concerning doping initially and tampering later have compounded to call for a suspension for eight years in total. The CEO and secretary general of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, Nicki Nicol stated, “The offences committed by Zane Robertson are deeply disappointing and his actions go against everything the New Zealand Team stands for.” Nicol continued, “We condemn all forms of doping. Every athlete has the right to compete on an even playing field and Robertson’s actions have undermined the integrity of sport.”

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Many former athletes have come to the fore to stress their views on the matter. Michael Johnson was one of the first.

Michael Johnson’s reaction to Robertson’s doping case

The legendary sprinter Michael Johnson was fairly agitated by the series of false allegations prompted by Robertson, realizing how cases such as Robertson’s snatch the reward from those who believe in working hard. Robertson took the case to Twitter as he tweeted the NZ Herald’s article and wrote, “He tested positive for EPO, and falsely claimed Kenyan doctors treated him for COVID with EPO when he went for a vaccination.” 

Johnson was more anguished by the fact that he tried falsely accusing Kenyan doctors to cover his fault. Several other people also joined Johnson as they wrote some sarcastic as well as some harsh comments against Robertson. One of the users stated a sarcastic comment using the trending ChatGPT remark for getting a better fictional explanation. He tweeted,

Whereas another user suggested that Robertson can take on writing fiction as an alternative career. He tweeted,

On the other hand, another sarcastic comment included the Kenyan Health system, as the user tweeted,

Another user applauded the innovative lies the accused came up with. The user tweeted,

It is not the first, and probably will not be the last doping case from track and field. What are your thoughts on doping and the people who are found guilty of it? Let us know in the comments section.

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