Sports stars who shocked the world with doping scandals

While many may say they can “love the art and not the artist”, the same can't always be said for sports stars. A case in point is Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies, who has experienced his share of scandal, most recently, doping allegations.

The rugby star, who suffers from respiratory issues, tested positive for clenbuterol, a banned substance. While popular for increasing stamina and a go-to for bodybuilders wanting to keep fat off, the drug also helps as a decongestant. However, Jantjies's wife Iva Ristic said he would not take steroids because of his sinusitis. 

“Only after the news came out this week did we discover that the clenbuterol found in his drug test was the same substance in the nasal spray he used when he landed,” Ristic told News24.

While Jantjies hopes a request for his second urine sample be investigated, he is one of many stars who has shocked their fans with unexpected news. From cycling icons to reality TV star medallists, here are some athletes whose doping scandals ruined their careers.

CRYSTAL COX

Reality TV show Survivivor changed the way people viewed such competitions, which constantly challenging the wits and strengths of its scheming contestants. However, in its 17th season it revealed an event regarding contender Crystal Cox.

Before Survivor: Gabon, Cox was part of the US 4x100m relay team at the 2004 Olympics which won a gold medal. She was stripped of her medal in 2012 after admitting to doping. The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Sanya Richardson was part of that squad. However, again Cox would turn heads, but not for the right reasons.

She cast doubt among other contestants with her baffling performance on the show, costing her team victory in 11 of the 13 elimination challenges. This triggered an investigation by researchers at the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative which exposed her (Balco) doping. She was quick to admit to it.

Cox now supports her daughter's volleyball career, travelling to competitions, and also works as a caregiver at a health facility in the US.

ANDRE AGASSI

American former world No 1 tennis player, eight-time major champion, an Olympic gold medallist and Golden Slam winner — winning all four major championships in a calendar year — Agassi broke boundaries.

In his autobiography Open, Agassi wrote about how much he hated the game, but only retired at 36. ESPN would report that this was a decision that saw him employ painkillers to cope with the toll it would take on him. He also admitted in the book he was addicted to crystal meth which he used copiously in 1997. This caused a huge scandal as the International Tennis Federation could not understand how he got away with it.

He has since married former world number one Steffi Graf and they have two children. He returned to tennis to coach Novak Djokovic in 2017 and has dedicated himself to charity work.

MARION JONES-THOMPSON

When Jones was offered a spot in the US running team in 1992, she told the press her aim was to earn her place the right way.

However, she joined the North Carolina Basketball team and won a gold medal at the national championship. An injury did not deter her and in 1996, Jones took gold in the 100m sprint at the World Championship in Athens.

Suspicions marred Jones's career at the 2000 Olympic Games when rumours stirred about her failing a drug test. She won gold in the 100m, 200m and 400m relay. She also scores bronze that same year for the 200m and the 400m relay.

Jones set a 100m record at a meet at the Prefontaine Classic of 10.9 seconds. Her former coach told The New York Times that he anonymously sent the US anti-doping agency a syringe in 2004 saying she would often inject herself with performance enhancing drugs, which he would also assist with.

Jones failed to leave the Olympics that year with a medal,  made worse when the founder of Balco who revealed in a TV interview that Jones was among a bevy of sports stars who have used performance-enhancing drugs.

Her husband, Tim Montgomery retired after he was also exposed. In 2006, Jones tested positive for doping but was saved by a second sample that came back negative. It would only be a year later that she confessed to using drugs to enhance her performance. She was stripped of all the medals she won at the Sydney Olympics and she served six months in jail for lying about her use of the drugs.

Jones has since become a personal trainer and national sport recruiter. She returned to basketball in 2010 and 2011 though her focus has shifted to her family.

LANCE ARMSTRONG

At 13 years old, a young Armstrong took to his first competitive cycle race, working diligently to earn his first championship title at 19 in 1990. He would start his long reign as a Tour de France champ in 1999 when he clinched his first of septuple wins ending in 2005.

Armstrong beat the odds after his battle with testicular cancer in 1996. When he made a stellar return in 1997, his Livestrong bracelets from his cancer foundation would become ubiquitous with those who won the battle against cancer.

Armstrong was immediately met with critique after his 1999 win as many found suspicion in his astounding return to form. This made him a hero and he released several autobiographies.

In 2002 Armstrong was absolved in a two-year investigation by French authorities into his alleged doping. He retired at 33 after his seventh consecutive win and spent time raising cancer awareness. This was short-lived as he made another Tour de France comeback in 2009, placing third. In 2010, Armstrong's performances declined at multiple races. 

That same year, his teammate Floyd Landis would admit to having been doping since 2002. Armstrong was adamant in denying the claims, stating: “It's our word against his word. I like our word. We like our credibility. Floyd lost his credibility a long time ago.”

Perhaps this would be the event that left Landis upset enough to share with the world that he was not the only one doping at the time.

In 2011, Armstrong announced another retirement from cycling and hot off his heels were two other teammates who came clean about doping. They would also implicate Arsmtrong, who only confessed two years later in an Oprah Winfrey interview.

Armstrong has not given up on the cycling world. He started a podcast, The Move, which covers the annual Tour de France events. He also opened a coffee shop, Juan Pelota (a cheeky name that translates to “one ball” — he had a testicle removed during his bout with cancer). He also opened Mellow Johnnys, which has become a renowned bike shop.