Desco's doping spells bad news...
Elisa Desco
News that the newly-crowned World women’s mountain running champion Elisa Desco had tested positive for a (as yet unnamed) banned substance may come as a shock to many in the mountain running scene.
However, for those followers of cycling, Italian endurance athletes have some very heavy clouds currently hovering above them, with CERA (a blood boosting form of EPO) the sweet of choice. To date though the relatively untainted sport of mountain running has been off the radar of their banned cheats. Until Weds that is.
News emerged from the Associated Press in Rome that Desco’s A sample had tested positive, however she will not be a confirmed positive until her B sample is analysed. The ramifications for this are much wider unfortunately. If fell, mountain, ultra-trail runners weren’t too far up WADA and other doping bodies lists up to the 6th of September (date of her +), they certainly are now. Additionally the ‘vampires’ (as testers are known in the world of cycling) will be hovering above more and more championships and high-profile races from now on.
As the profile (and cash rewards) bar is raised in this sport, the cheaters will surely follow. The grim reality however is that the sport of mountain running (at the highest level) will now attract doubters, it will attract skepticism when incredible (entirely clean) athletic achievements happen in the mountains of the world.
Let’s hope that this sad episode in the sport’s history is an isolated case, and that Elisa Desco is indeed proved clean…
