Patrick Bennet 
A female Russian athlete who participated in the Olympics this year unexpectedly failed to pass a doping test; it was that same girl who proudly wore a shirt that had the words “I don’t do doping” written on the front. When you make a statement like that and everyone sees it, it is advisable that you practice what you preach.
Nadezhda Sergeeva attended the 2018 Winter Olympics as a part of Russia’s women bobsleigh team. She is actually the second Russian athlete who failed to pass the doping test this year.
The revelation about Sergeeva’s positive result from the doping test comes only a day before the International Olympic Committee’s decision to let all the Russian players attend the closing ceremony on Sunday.
Russia was banned from participation in the Olympics after the doping charges pressed against the team during the Sochi Games. Despite the scandal, the International Olympic Committee decided to invite all of the Russian athletes to this year’s games to compete under the Olympic flag.
Sergeeva apparently took trimetazidine—according to the test results. Trimetazidine is a medicine that is typically used in cases of angina. It was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency due to its effects on the metabolism.
Earlier this month Sergeeva gave an interview, in which she stated how other countries’ athletes changed the way they treated her; according to the bobsledder, many of them were nicer and warmer towards her, and Sergeeva believed that she noticed the change after she passed the International Olympic Committee’s initial tests required prior the games; these tests apparently involved a check on the substances she has been taking.
During the interview, Sergeeva was wearing her white T-shirt with the “I Don’t Do Doping” slogan; she added that she wasn’t sure why, but competitors from other countries started to talk more to the Russian team, and she guessed that they finally considered them to be clean.
Sergeeva claimed that a lot of people came up to her and other members of the Russian team to greet them and to express how good it was to have them there. She probably had no clue how ironic that would sound days later.
The leader of the Russian delegation in Pyeongchang—Stanislav Pozdrnyakov—spoke to the media in Russia and said that such a turn of events would definitely not result in anything positive for the team. He added that the case involving Sergeeva was a clear sign of her negligence in regard to the rules. adding that she managed to let the whole team down.
The official statement released by the Russian bobsleigh federation said that Sergeeva’s sample from the initial tests on the 13th of February were absolutely clean. Since then the medical staff of the Russian team did not prescribe this medicine to Sergeeva. The message also said that the Russian bobsleigh federation and the athlete involved in this case were well aware of the responsibility they have, and that they understand that the consequences from this case could have a huge impact on the whole team.
JUST NOW:
OAR delegation has received notification bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva tested positive for prohibited drug trimetazidine.
The decision on this case will be taken according to the current rules.
The OAR informed the IOC about doping offense immediately.@CBCNews— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 23, 2018
As we mentioned above, Sergeeva was not the first Russian athlete to end up with a positive doping test during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
On Thursday the 25-year-old Alexander Krushelnitsky, who is one of the curling athletes on the team, was forced to return the bronze medal won by the mixed team that he participated in. The reason was his positive test result from the doping test—it turned out that he had a substance called meldonium in his system. Meldonium is strictly forbidden because it has a beneficial effect on the athletes’ endurance.
Krushelnitsky reportedly admitted to his violation and has subsequently been disqualified from the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 curling event where he was supposed to compete in mixed doubles. The results by the OAR team from the same event have also been disqualified.
The Russian Bobsled athlete, Nadezhda Sergeeva, who just got busted for doping… pic.twitter.com/CaTXzJnWVF
— Steve Magness (@stevemagness) February 23, 2018
Nadezhda Sergeeva reportedly used to compete as a hepathlete—meaning she participated in track and field sports events—before she decided to start training to become a bobsledder eight years ago.
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