Relieved champion boxer and Olympic contender Ginny Fuchs has thanked the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and bemused fans on Twitter after proving that her positive drugs tests were the result of unprotected sex with her boyfriend.
Fuchs' place at the Tokyo Olympic Games was under threat as she faced an anxious wait to discover whether her argument that she had ingested traces of banned substances while having unprotected sex with her boyfriend would result in a reprieve from the doping body.
The flyweight Olympic trials number one tested positive for two banned substances in an out-of-competition test in February but insisted she had been clueless that sex sessions with her partner, who had consumed the substances in products he bought, could put her at risk.
"I was in complete shock," the Sugar Ray Robinson and Anthony Joshua fan told Fox 26. "I had no idea where [the banned substances] had come from, knowing I had never ingested anything.
“I had no idea that I could become contaminated by way of intimate contact with another person.
"I am very relieved that USADA saw that my case was very unique, gave me a ‘no fault’ and cleared me, which allowed me to resume my career immediately."
Boxing fans responded with a stream of memes, jokes and skepticism after watching Fuchs explain her unusual defense. "Damn, never heard of that example before," said one podcaster. "That’s a new one."
A fellow viewer suggested that Fuchs should have observed the kind of sex ban that some trainers recommend for fighters during training camps, while a supporter hit back at the jibes: "Ginny is the consumate professional and she battles all the time to be the best. None of your bullsh*t comments will stop her."
Experienced fighter Fuchs had feared that the saga would hinder a career that could lead to gold at the rescheduled games in 2021, when she is aiming to repeat the victory that saw her finish first at the Olympic Test Event in Japan in October.
“I’m just grateful it’s behind me and I can now focus on my preparation for Tokyo," she admitted.
“I just want my fellow athletes to learn from my mistake.
"I’ve learned an important lesson: always take the necessary precautions in any case, especially with intimate contact.
I don’t want them to get blindsided by my unique experience.”
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