Why do athletes like Canelo Alvarez turn to Steroid use in professional sport
Ever since competitive sport began, athletes have wanted to push their bodies further. That’s the entire point of dedicating your life to sport, right? Be better, faster, stronger. Who wants middle of the pack mediocrity? Gold medals, championship belts, and timeless legacy aren’t found in normality. So athletes need to constantly evolve. But that means taking risks. And worryingly, that’s why steroids have become more and more popular in sports. Sport fans have seen the fallout of some high profile risks recently. Remember Canelo Alvarez’s two positive results for Clenbuterol in March 2018? The previous month, sprinter Nigel Levine got a provisional ban for a test which came back positive for Clen. And let’s not even talk about the Winter Olympics! Why are so many athletes using steroids? At some point, the human body needs to level up. But organic growth is slow. Too slow for the competitive demands of sport. And too slow for the athlete too. Remember, these are guys (and girls) who don’t list patience in their character profile. They want results – now. So what are they meant to do? Their sport demands more and more. Other athletes – and the younger ones snapping at their heels – are gonna take risks. Take the drugs, get better, stay ahead of the pack. You’ve gotta understand the mindset of a competitive athlete. They’re not regular human beings. It’s not difficult to see why so many of them risk steroids. But you’re not a pro athlete. If you were caught taking steroids, you could lose your job, your relationship, heck even your kids. It’s just not worth it. Canelo Álvarez & Clenbuterol Boxing fans will remember the case of Canelo Álvarez in March 2018. The multiple world champion tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol ahead of his WBC title fight rematch against Golovkin. Álvarez got a temporary suspension for two positive tests (samples given to VADA in February). He later officially withdrew from the fight. After the official hearing, he was given a six month backdated suspension. According to official paperwork from VADA (published by ESPN), Canelo Alvarez’s samples showed 0.6-0.8 ng/ml of Clenbuterol. Results below 1 ng/ml are often caused by contaminated meat, and this is what his camp have always claimed was the case for Canelo. Clenbuterol test failures due to ingestion of tainted meat is a serious issue in Mexico. It affected a lot of players in a 2011 FIFA tournament over there. Could Canelo have taken Clenbuterol for sport? Yeah, maybe, but his results came back within the expected range for tainted meat. There’s no evidence to suggest Canelo’s clean case was due to anything else (but we’ll probably never know for sure). What is Clenbuterol? Clenbuterol (sometimes just called ‘Clen’) is an illegal drug and banned substance. It’s often misused by bodybuilders and other athletes. Chances are some guys in your gym are on it right now. It can increase muscle mass and help strip body fat. It even stimulates the metabolism and CNS. But the side effects are no joke. It can cause heart palpitations, muscle tremors, anxiety and worse. Clen is banned by WADA and all sports governing bodies. But in Mexico, it’s commonly used in cattle. More muscle, more meat. Makes sense.
