quote:
Herzog wil onschuld aantonen
zondag 25 mei 2014, 17:32 (Update: 25-05-14, 17:35)
Atlete Adrienne Herzog zegt nooit doping te hebben gebruikt en stelt dat een goede analyse van haar biologische paspoort dat ook zal aantonen. Herzog reageert daarmee voor het eerst zelf op de positieve dopingtest die bijna twee weken geleden naar buiten kwam.
De reactie van Herzog is te lezen in een column op de website prorun.nl. Ze schrijft over het diepe dal waarin ze is terecht gekomen, nadat ze door de Nederlandse atletiekunie (KNAU) op de hoogte was gebracht van de positieve test.
Testosteron : epitestosteron
Herzog is bij een 'out-of-competition'-controle positief bevonden op grond van een overschrijding van de toegestane verhouding tussen testosteron en epitestosteron. In de column, die in het Engels is geschreven, zegt ze dat de testosteronwaardes bij haar altijd al aan de hoge kant zijn. Ook bij haar familieleden is dat volgens haar het geval. "Ik denk dat het genetisch bepaald is en wellicht is het één van de redenen waarom iedereen in mijn familie goed is in atletiek," schrijft de hardloopster.
Ook wijst ze erop dat de toegestane waardes van de hormonen in 2005 zijn verlaagd. "Ik word nu dus misschien geschorst om iets wat negen jaar geleden nog heel normaal was." Herzog heeft haar hoop gevestigd op een nadere bestudering van haar biologische paspoort. "Ik ben de afgelopen jaren elke twee tot vier weken getest. Dan zal blijken dat deze resultaten voor mij binnen de marge vallen."
Contra-expertise
Herzog is door de KNAU voorlopig geschorst in afwachting van de contra-expertise. Herzog denkt niet dat die anders zal uitvallen omdat de tweede test door hetzelfde laboratorium zal worden gedaan. "Ik geloof niet dat een onderzoeker zal toegeven dat hij of zij de eerste keer fout zat." De atlete riskeert een schorsing van twee jaar.
Het is niet voor het eerst dat Herzog in verband wordt gebracht met doping. In 2010 werd haar naam genoemd in Operación Galgo, een omvangrijke dopingzaak in Spanje waar meer dan zestig alteten bij betrokken waren. Vorig jaar publiceerde Vrij Nederland een verhaal waarin Herzog ervan werd beschuldigd contacten te hebben met dopingleveranciers. Daarna besloten de Atletiekunie en Herzog tot een afkoelingsperiode van drie maanden.
Marathondebuut
Ze maakte eind vorig jaar haar rentree in de Sylvesterloop en is op dit moment in training voor haar geplande marathondebuut in het najaar. Herzog houdt hoop: "Ik train nog steeds. Mijn doel is mijn debuut maken op de marathon en een tijd lopen van onder de 2.28. Ik zal weer in wedstrijden uitkomen zodra deze rotzooi is opgelost."
quote:
Wow. This has been one tough week - probably the second toughest in my life behind the 2012 death of my fiancé Terence. Since being notified by the Dutch doping authority on May 13 that I tested high on my testosterone levels, I've spent much of the past two weeks trying to understand my situation, make sense of the test results, and figure out how to navigate this very murky process. Though I wanted to respond immediately, and publicly, to these allegations - let the world know that I have never used performance enhancing drugs - I needed some time to reflect, calm down, and get over the nasty lung infection I've been battling. So I tell you now: I am clean and I will prove that. Here is a look at this situation from my point of view:
I woke up early on May 13 at my place in Colorado, excited to tackle the day's workout. I was to do a tough tempo workout on an Alter-G treadmill, allowing me to experience some good quality training while also allowing my tendon to continue to heal. Instead, I saw a vague email from the head of my athletics federation, asking I call him urgently. Something told me that this was not good news.
Once I got the federation head on the phone, he told me I had an "averse testing event" following a March 16, 2014 out-of-competition test. He wouldn't tell me the specifics, telling me to read a letter send hard copy to my parents’ house in the Netherlands. This was frustrating because he effectively was telling me I was looking at a two-year ban but wouldn't tell me the whole story. After several phone calls, I was able to obtain a copy of this letter and found that my testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio was 4.4:1, which is ~10% above the WADA limit of 4:1. Interesting enough, though it's been nearly two weeks since this conversation, I have still not seen any actual lab results - despite requesting them (and paying 400 EURO) immediately.
After my conversation with the federation head, I set off on a frenzy of research to understand what this meant. One of the first things I learned was that the acceptable T/E ratio was 6:1 as recently as 2005 when it was lowered to 4:1. How could I be potentially banned over something that, just 9 years ago, was considered normal? Did something happen to human physiology in the last decade I wasn't aware of?
Looking back at over a decade of doping tests, it is completely normal for me to have a ratio on the high side - and this appears to be genetic. My other families members who have had this test done also show "high" values, which probably explains, in part, the family athletic talent as high testosterone is obviously correlated with strong athletic performance. Hopefully a review of my biological passport (I have been tested every 2-4 weeks over the past several years) will deem these results acceptable for me
I also learned that testosterone levels are incredibly variable- throughout the year, month, day, and hour. It is influenced by foods, alcohol, supplements, medications, sleep, recent workouts, menstruation, arguments, physical touch - you name it. In addition to the actual level being highly variable, the test itself is not very precise with a large measurement error range. For example, WADA indicates that the T/E test has an accuracy of +/-15%, which means my actual T/E ratio from the March 16 test could have been as low as 3.7, well within the limits.
I'm currently working with a research team to figure out exactly what happened in my case to cause this result. Was it diet? Medications? Menstrual cycle abnormalities? Sickness? Testing error? We'll find out.
The next step in the process is to have my B sample analyzed. The more I learn about the B test, the more concerning it becomes. Unlike any serious scientific study, where the goal of subsequent test is to refute a null hypothesis (e.g., show that I would not be above the limit), the goal here is to CONFIRM the previous results. Despite my requests, the test will be done in the same lab - possibly by the same researcher - who did my A sample analysis. Do you think this researcher will be motivated to show that he made an error in the first round? If he revealed a testing error, his credibility - and that of the entire lab- would be called into question. Not a great career move. It is so unjust - this one-side balance of power. WADA does the initial test, the confirmatory tests, reaches a verdict, and then administers the penalty. Where are the check and balance here to ensure I get a fair shake at things?
As murky as this process is, one thing has become more and more clear as I move through it: I love running. Throughout this process, I'm continuing to train for a fall marathon debut with an aim of running under 2:28. Lately I've battled with tendonitis, lung infection, and a calf injury - but I'm still training away. I love running and I won't let anything keep me from it. I will be back competing as soon as this mess is cleared up
"Niet-wielrenners. De leegheid van die levens schokt me." - T. Krabbé