Home > Feature

Australian pro triathlete to receive four-year ban for doping

July 29, 2016
Share on SMS

Screen Shot 2015-12-15 at 7.19.01 AM

Lisa Marangon, an Australian pro triathlete and multi-Ironman 70.3 winner has received an official four-year ban from triathlon by ASADA (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority) after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.

According to Triathlete, who published Marangon’s precursory statement this morning, the 36-year-old athlete was notified earlier this year by ASADA that she had tested positive for Osarine following a fifth-place finish at Challenge Melbourne. ASADA has yet to official announce Marangon’s ban, which is a maximum four years.They are expected to make the announcement within the next 48 hours.

Marangon was first contacted on March 9 regarding her positive A-sample, and then again in May after her B-sample also came back positive.

Marangon denies any intentional wrongdoing. She claims her water bottle “was maliciously tampered with during a 30-minute window while her race nutrition was left unattended prior to the half distance race start.”

Lisa Marangon’s official statement to Triathlete:

“It is with a heavy heart that I wish to announce that in January of this year I tested positive for a banned substance, called ‘Ostarine.’ As will be evident over the coming period of time, I maintain that I did not knowingly take this substance and that I am the victim of tampering and or sabotage at the hands of person/s who wish to cause me harm.

“I will continue to protest my innocence, regardless of the findings and sanctions which are in the process of being handed down against me. Whilst I am devastated that this will likely bring about the end of my professional triathlon career, I would like to state clearly that I have been completely honest and fully cooperative with ASADA during the investigative process, and hold no ill will toward that agency, the race or the sport.

“As stated above, I will continue to try to clear my name and hopefully also serve as an example to others to be more careful in the future.”

Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator that binds to an athlete’s muscle receptors and enhances steroid-like muscle growth. Independent testing showed Marangon had 25mg of the PED in her system on race day.

With files from Aaron S. Lee and Triathlete.com