Paralympic medallist Daphne Schrager insists she has "never cheated" aft being fixed a two-year prohibition pursuing an "unintentional" affirmative trial for a banned substance.
Schrager, who won a metallic medal astatine Paris 2024, tested affirmative for the banned substance Ligandrol, which selectively builds musculus and bony mass.
However, the prohibition has been backdated to commencement erstwhile she was initially suspended connected 2 June 2025.
It volition extremity connected 1 June 2027, meaning Schrager could inactive vie astatine the 2028 Paralympic Games successful Los Angeles. However, she has been near retired of the England squad for the Commonwealth Games, presently taking spot successful Glasgow.
The substance was recovered aft the 25-year-old completed an out-of-competition trial past year.
The National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) said Schrager argued that she had been exposed to biology contamination with 2 imaginable scenarios.
She said she whitethorn person been contaminated astatine a gym that she had attended to person a massage, oregon astatine a shared location address.
However, a NADP tribunal recovered that portion Schrager had not intentionally utilized a banned substance, she had not proved that it was an inadvertent biology contamination.
In a lengthy connection connected Instagram, external, Schrager said she had paid for hairsbreadth and nail investigation arsenic portion of her attempts to beryllium her innocence – but due to the fact that the nonstop root of contamination could not beryllium proven, she had been banned.
"In June past year, I received quality that turned my satellite upside down," she said. "I had tested affirmative successful an anti-doping trial for a hint magnitude of Ligandrol, detected astatine 0.0006ng, resulting successful my suspension from cycling since that time.
"I privation to beryllium precise clear: I person ne'er cheated, nor person I ever knowingly taken immoderate banned substance. Facing the anticipation of a four-year prohibition unless I could beryllium that the effect was unintentional has been incredibly distressing."
Schrager said the sheet had confirmed she did not intentionally usage oregon ingest Ligandrol, and she had proved that inadvertent biology contamination from a infinitesimal hint of Ligandrol was to blasted for the affirmative test.
She said the hint of Ligandrol would person provided her with nary show advantage. As a result, nary of her results person been disqualified.
"In cases similar mine, by the clip an jock is informed of their affirmative test, excessively overmuch clip has passed to place the nonstop root of contamination with the certainty that the rules demand," Schrager added. "That is not a nonaccomplishment of honesty oregon effort, it is simply excessively overmuch of a load to beryllium met successful each case."
"This is 1 of the astir hard periods of my life. Losing my contract, my squad and the operation that had agelong shaped my intent and individuality near maine facing a level of uncertainty I had ne'er known."
Schrager, who has cerebral palsy, said the interaction connected her intelligence wellness has been "significant and astatine times overwhelming" - but vowed she would instrumentality to enactment successful 2027.
She won Team GB's archetypal medal of the 2024 Paralympics with metallic successful the women's C1-3 3000m idiosyncratic pursuit.
She went connected to triumph 2 golden medals astatine the Para-cycling Road World Cup in May 2025 successful the C2 people – earlier being suspended a period later.
English (US)·