Video Transcript
Hi, I’m Chris Mazdzer, Olympic silver medalist in the sport of luge and TrueSport Athlete Ambassador. As an elite level athlete competing at the highest level in sport, it is easy to find yourself wishing for a quick-fix solution to becoming stronger and faster or even recovering quicker. For some athletes, this means tweaking their training plans or even adjusting their nutrition plan. For others, this might mean they consider more severe solutions such as performance-enhancing drugs.
When it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, athletes often have a misconception that the benefits will outweigh the negative effects. Athletes are often misinformed about the physical side effects of using performance-enhancing drugs, as well as the irreversible damage that can be done to their personal reputation and legacy once they are caught for cheating. In the sport of luge, I’m not only working on my body, but I’m also working on my sled. And we have a term called mechanical doping if an athlete is caught for cheating with their sled. Once this happens, there’s an asterisk on their name forever. And we can never fully believe that they had an authentic win.
So regardless of your feelings on clean sport, what I know to be true is that athletes who cheat rob themselves and others of an authentic victory. It comes down to the individual to have the courage to choose to compete without performance-enhancing drugs and to know that performance-enhancing drugs are proven to have serious side effects. Taking a shortcut can be appealing, and fast tracking your way to victory might seem like the simplest solution. But, putting in the time, the dedication, and hard work, that’s where real success can be found.
