A top British Olympic hope, who is engaged to a Donegal cyclist, has come under the media spotlight after she was cleared to race the Rio Olympics – despite missing three drugs tests.
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Under the system, athletes are required to inform anti-doping officials of a location where they can be contacted during a particular hour of every day.
Armitstead’s first violation dates back to August 2015 during the World Cup race in Sweden when a doping control officer visited her hotel at 6 a.m.
Athletes are essentially given three strikes in the system, and Armitstead would’ve been facing a lengthy ban in the face had the CAS not ruled in her favour.
Lizzie Armitstead, who was in danger of missing the Olympic Games in Rio after being suspended by UK Anti-Doping for allegedly missing three tests, has had the decision unanimously overturned by the court of arbitration for sport. Along with updating their time slots and whereabouts on a website, by email and text message, they can also have agents or representatives submit information on their behalf.
“I will hold my head high in Rio and do my best for Great Britain”.
Armitstead did not dispute the second and third misdemeanours, but successfully appealed to CAS over the first.
Armitstead was charged by the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) on July 11 with three “whereabouts” failures, leading to a suspension pending disciplinary action.
Christine Ohuruogu, the 2008 Olympic 400 metres champion, was banned for a year following three missed tests in 2006.
Cooke says she told UKAD that the regime was “too permissive. allowing the drug cheats too much latitude”. “We are awaiting the Reasoned Decision from the CAS Panel as to why the first Whereabouts Failure was not upheld”.
But Nicole Sapstead, the chief executive of UKAD, revealed the 27-year-old hadn’t challenged the first missed test until her third violation. Adidas said: “Lizzie has provided a clear explanation of what happened and CAS has accepted her position”.
Armitstead said CAS supported her case because she was at the hotel she had stated she would be at and the testing official “didn’t do what was reasonable and necessary to find me”.
Those days are long gone now, however, with the 7th placed finish in the UCI World Road Championships in Spain two years ago forgotten along with the inability to finish the job in crucial races.
She added: “When UKAD asserts a whereabouts failure against an athlete, the athlete has the opportunity to challenge the apparent whereabouts failure through an external administrative review, before it is confirmed”.
“Simon Thornton from British Cycling was put in place to check my whereabouts on a bi-weekly basis”, she wrote.
Admitting she missed just one out-of-competition test in 14 years, Cooke said: “My missed one was my own fault”.
But it’s worth remembering the disputed test (last August) was the first.
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Armitstead’s inspired form has only bettered during 2016, with her having a ideal record in her six races thus far – winning each one, making her a firm favourite amongst bookies’ to take her first gold at an Olympic Games.
