russian biathlete Yevgeny Ustyugov during a meeting of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), he declared having health problems due to an increase in hemoglobin.
On Wednesday, the CAS released a video broadcast of the hearing, which took place on July 13 and considered Ustyugov’s appeal against the decision of the International Biathlon Union (IBU). The IBU announced in February 2020 that Ustyugov, who had already retired, had been suspended for two years based on data obtained from the Moscow lab. Ustyugov was found guilty of using the banned substance oxandrolone. The results presented by the athlete from August 27, 2013 until the end of the 2013/2014 season have been cancelled.
– I will not tell you what sports achievements I had. But it was very interesting for me to listen to the people present here from the IBU and the AMA. In fact, they have known about high hemoglobin since 2009 and again they constantly sent me for doping control.
No matter how many tests I took, they were all negative. I always took hemoglobin before competitions. I’m not going to lie, I’ve seen several athletes with the same elevated hemoglobin. I will not name the countries and the names of these people. Nevertheless, they are present, but for some reason they only consider my case. And the question that ferritin really raises hemoglobin comes from a series of absurdities.
I skied in February this year. I no longer participate in sports competitions, because there is enough office work. I wake up at least once an hour during the night. Any therapist will understand when toes and hands go numb. Every time you wake up and feel these pains. As soon as I stand in a barefoot spot on the sidewalk or on the ground, my legs look like those of a disabled person or a corpse – completely blue, overflowing with hemoglobin. Sadly, I last took ferritin in 2020. But for the sake of the matter, I passed away three days ago. And if three years ago it was above 250, now it is 499.
To be honest, I was little, my mother told me. Grandpa died when he was in his 40s from a blood clot that broke off his leg. I think it’s not a good thing, it can be likened to a handicap.
I have to live with this all my life, I don’t know how long. I don’t know what treatment. I have three children who, unfortunately or fortunately, also have high hemoglobin levels. A normal person has about 250 ferritin, so we have to come together and solve this problem somehow.
I have passed many tests in my career and have always been clean. Never used and never used [запрещенных препаратов]- Ustyugov said via video link during a court hearing.
As a member of the Russian national team, Ustyugov, along with Alexei Volkov, Dmitry Malyshko and Anton Shipulin, won the relay at the Sochi Olympics. He also won gold in the mass start at the Vancouver Games in 2010. The biathlete ended his sports career in 2014.
Source : MatchTV
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