Latest news with #WADA
New Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Haiyang eyes Olympic glory after winning 100m breaststroke world gold
SINGAPORE: China's Qin Haiyang set his sights on glory at Los Angeles 2028 after reeling in Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi to reclaim his 100m breaststroke world title on Monday. Haiyang recovered from a slow start to come home in 58.23sec in Singapore, beating Italy's Martinenghi (58.58) and Kyrgyzstan's Denis Petrashov (58.88). Haiyang swept all three breaststroke races at the 2023 World Championships in Japan, breaking the 200m world record. But he crashed and burned at last year's Paris Olympics, finishing seventh after leading the 100m breaststroke final at the turn. The 26-year-old had no such problems in Singapore as he delivered China's first swimming gold of the championships. "I have a lot of anticipation for LA 2028," said Haiyang. "I'm just getting myself into the frame of mind early. "There are still a lot of uncertainties ahead and I have to be prepared for anything that may come." Haiyang said he was still not back to his best, but called the victory a big confidence boost following injury. "There are still a few years ahead before the next Olympics and I want to still be able to achieve my dreams," he added. Haiyang went into the race in ominous form, having swum the two fastest times of the year and topped the semi-finals ahead of Martinenghi. Martinenghi was initially disqualified in the semi-finals but was reinstated for the final. The Italian said he had been sick through the night and was "really proud" of his performance. "That silver is like a gold for me," he said. "I've got nothing inside me, I've got only my heart and my brain." The race did not feature Paris Olympic joint silver medallists Adam Peaty and Nic Fink. Britain's Peaty, who owned the 14 fastest times in the history of the 100m breaststroke heading into Singapore, decided to skip the World Championships. American Fink is also taking a break from competition. Haiyang said his win was the result of hard work in training. "To win this gold medal is not something that's easily said and done for me," he said. Haiyang's preparations for the Paris Olympics were thrown into turmoil when he was implicated in a major doping scandal months before the Games. A report named Haiyang among 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for a prescription heart drug ahead of the pandemic-delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics. They were not sanctioned after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the argument of Chinese authorities that the positive tests were caused by contaminated food. - AFP
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Qin targets LA 2028 gold after 100m breaststroke world title win
CHINA's Qin Haiyang has set his sights on Olympic glory at Los Angeles 2028 after reclaiming his 100m breaststroke world title with a thrilling victory over Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi. Qin clocked 58.23 seconds, edging out Martinenghi (58.58) and Kyrgyzstan's Denis Petrashov (58.88) in a tightly contested final. The 26-year-old, who swept all three breaststroke events at the 2023 world championships, rebounded from a disappointing seventh-place finish at the Paris Olympics. 'I have a lot of anticipation for LA 2028,' Qin said. 'I'm just getting myself into the frame of mind early. There are still a lot of uncertainties ahead, and I have to be prepared for anything that may come.' Qin admitted he is still regaining full fitness after injury but called the win a confidence boost. 'There are still a few years ahead before the next Olympics, and I want to still be able to achieve my dreams,' he added. Martinenghi, the reigning Olympic champion, battled illness to secure silver. 'That silver is like a gold for me,' he said. 'I've got nothing inside me, I've got only my heart and my brain.' The race was missing Paris Olympic joint silver medallists Adam Peaty and Nic Fink, both of whom skipped the championships. Qin's preparations for Paris were disrupted by a doping scandal, though he was cleared after WADA accepted China's explanation of contaminated food. - AFP
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Qin eyes Olympic glory after winning 100m breaststroke world gold
SINGAPORE: China's Qin Haiyang set his sights on glory at Los Angeles 2028 after reeling in Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi to reclaim his 100m breaststroke world title on Monday. Qin recovered from a slow start to come home in 58.23sec in Singapore, beating Italy's Martinenghi (58.58) and Kyrgyzstan's Denis Petrashov (58.88). Qin swept all three breaststroke races at the 2023 world championships in Japan, breaking the 200m world record. But he crashed and burned at last year's Paris Olympics, finishing seventh after leading the 100m breaststroke final at the turn. The 26-year-old had no such problems in Singapore as he delivered China's first swimming medal of the championships. "I have a lot of anticipation for LA 2028," said Qin. "I'm just getting myself into the frame of mind early. "There are still a lot of uncertainties ahead and I have to be prepared for anything that may come." Qin said he was still not back to his best, but called the victory a big confidence boost following injury. "There are still a few years ahead before the next Olympics and I want to still be able to achieve my dreams," he added. Qin went into the race in ominous form, having swum the two fastest times of the year and topped the semi-finals ahead of Martinenghi. Martinenghi was initially disqualified in the semi-finals but was reinstated for the final. The Italian said he had been sick through the night and was "really proud" of his performance. "That silver is like a gold for me," he said. "I've got nothing inside me, I've got only my heart and my brain." The race did not feature Paris Olympic joint silver medallists Adam Peaty and Nic Fink. Britain's Peaty, who owned the 14 fastest times in the history of the 100m breaststroke heading into Singapore, decided to skip the world championships. American Fink is also taking a break from competition. Qin's preparations for the Paris Olympics were thrown into turmoil when he was implicated in a major doping scandal months before the Games. A report named Qin among 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for a prescription heart drug ahead of the pandemic-delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics. They were not sanctioned after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the argument of Chinese authorities that the positive tests were caused by contaminated food.--AFP
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Qin beats Olympic champ Martinenghi for 100m breaststroke world gold
SINGAPORE: China's Qin Haiyang reeled in Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi to reclaim his 100m breaststroke world title in Singapore on Monday. Qin recovered from a slow start to come home in 58.23sec, beating Italy's Martinenghi on 58.58 and Kyrgyzstan's Denis Petrashov on 58.88. Qin swept all three breaststroke races at the 2023 world championships in Japan, breaking the 200m world record. But he crashed and burned at last year's Paris Olympics, finishing seventh after leading the 100m breaststroke final at the turn. The 26-year-old had no such problems in Singapore as he delivered China's first swimming medal of the championships. "I'm so appreciative for tonight, it's been a long time," said Qin. "Finally, I've come back." Qin went into the race in ominous form, having swum the two fastest times of the year and topped the semi-finals ahead of Martinenghi. Martinenghi was initially disqualified in the semi-finals but was later reinstated for the final. The Italian said he had been sick through the night and was "really proud" of his performance. "That silver is like a gold for me," he said. "I've got nothing inside me, I've got only my heart and my brain." The race did not feature Paris Olympic joint silver-medallists Adam Peaty and Nic Fink. Britain's Peaty, who owned the 14 fastest times in the history of the 100m breaststroke heading into Singapore, decided to skip the world championships. American Fink is also taking a break from competition. Qin's preparations for the Paris Olympics were thrown into turmoil when he was implicated in a major doping scandal months before the Games. A report named Qin among 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for a prescription heart drug ahead of the pandemic-delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics. They were not sanctioned after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the argument of Chinese authorities that the positive tests were caused by contaminated food.-AFP
Euronews
4 days ago
- Sport
- Euronews
How does doping affect athletes' health?
This weekend promises to be an exciting one for sports fans. The World Aquatics Championships in Singapore begin their third weekend of competition, while the prestigious Tour de France concludes on Sunday, marking the end of one of cycling's greatest events. To cap off the weekend, the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 final takes place on Sunday evening in Basel, Switzerland, with world champions Spain facing European champions England. These three major events comprise different sports in different parts of the world, but they are united by one common aspect: anti-doping. Athletes participating in these events are closely monitored to ensure that these competitions remain free from banned substances listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. In the last three episodes of Euronews Next's podcast Euronews Tech Talks, we've explored how complex it is for anti-doping authorities to detect doping and the reasons why some professional athletes resort to it. But what exactly are the physical health risks associated with performance-enhancing drugs? Some preliminary remarks Before exploring the health risks associated with some of the most commonly used doping substances, there are some important points to make. To be included on the WADA Prohibited List, drugs and practices must fulfil at least two out of three criteria: they have the potential to enhance or do enhance sport performance; they represent an actual or potential health risk to the athlete; they violate the spirit of sport. This means a substance may only be performance-enhancing and violate the spirit of sport, or it may pose no actual health risk but a possible one. 2. Doping is a tricky research field In episode 50, Francesco Botrè, Director of the WADA-accredited anti-doping laboratory in Rome, highlighted that researching doping is complicated because studies must respect ethical and health safety criteria. For example, researchers cannot administer high doses of certain banned substances to study participants due to potential health risks. 3. Research on doping is relatively recent As noted in episode 51 by Dominic Sagoe, Professor of Psychology at the University of Bergen, research on doping is relatively recent, and the substances athletes use are also new, making it difficult to assess their long-term effects. 4. There is a health dilemma As often in health-related subjects, it is hard to define with certainty a cause-and-effect relationship between the use of a substance and a body reaction, as many aspects, such as genetics and environmental contexts, are often overlooked. 5. Difficult to identify Athletes using performance-enhancing drugs might take more than one banned substance, making it difficult to isolate the health effects of each substance. Anabolic steroids Anabolic steroids are among the doping substances whose health effects are most well-documented. They are used in sports like sprint competitions or weight lifting because they speed up protein synthesis in muscles, leading to increased muscle mass and strength. A famous case of steroid use involves tennis player Jannik Sinner, who won Wimbledon this year. The Italian athlete tested positive for steroids in March 2024 and received a three-month ban by WADA. These products can cause major physical side effects. 'Since the heart is also a muscle and steroids lead to muscle growth, the heart itself could also grow,' Astrid Kristine Bjørnebekk, group leader of the Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Research Group at the Oslo University Hospital, told Euronews Health. 'So it [the heart] increases in size, the ventricular walls get thicker and stiffer, which will affect the heart's ability to pump blood to the rest of the body and over time, this can lead to heart failure'. Some studies have also suggested that these heart problems may persist in the long term. Bjørnebekk explained that anabolic steroids disrupt hormone production, and research has also found reduced brain volume in the cerebral cortex among users, though scientists are still working to understand what these changes mean. Erythropoietin (EPO) and blood doping Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells, enhancing endurance. It is mostly used in competitions such as cycling or marathon running. Similarly, blood doping involves removing blood and re-transfusing it after the body has replaced the lost blood cells. This increases the total red blood cell count, improving the athlete's capacity to perform in the short term. The most well-known athlete to have used these substances is the United States' cyclist Lance Armstrong, who admitted using banned substances in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2013. Overall, both blood doping and EPO are associated with risks of infections and major cardiovascular problems like blood clots, strokes and heart attacks. However, this verified connection should be approached with caution and analysed on a case-by-case basis. For instance, in the 1990s and 2000s, media and experts suggested that over 15 Belgian and Dutch cyclists had died from heart attacks in the late 1980s due to EPO use. However, later studies found no clear evidence to support this claim, highlighting that the cause-and-effect relationship is more nuanced. Unlike steroids, research on the long-term effects of EPO and blood doping is somewhat more limited. Beta Blockers Probably less known than other performance-enhancing drugs, beta blockers are medications normally used for heart conditions. They are banned in specific sports like archery and shooting because they help athletes perform more calmly by keeping their heart rate low and reducing tension in their bodies. One of the most famous athletes who tested positive for beta blockers was North Korean shooter Kim Jong-su, who tested positive during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Common side effects include fatigue, dizziness, nausea, constipation, and erectile dysfunction. As far as long-term issues are concerned, some studies have associated chronic use of beta blockers with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease. However, there is little research focused specifically on beta blockers use in sports.
