Last night, CrossFit announced an additional five athletes in violation of its drug policy – increasing this year’s list of Regional or Games athletes in violation to 19. Last night’s announcement included CrossFit Games athletes Shawn Ramirez, 44, and Kelli Holm 36, as well as Regional athletes Fabio Botteghi, 32, Vivian Bomfim, 33, and André Sanchez, 30.
Ramirez, who took second place in the men’s master’s 40-44 division, will be stripped of his medal and slapped with a 4-year competition ban. The medal will presumably go to third-place finisher David Levey, moving fourth-place finisher Jason Grubb on to the podium as well. Ramirez, who has dominated the division the past five years, taking first place 2014-2017, expressed his disbelief regarding the violation on his Instagram account.
“I would NEVER take anything to jeopardize everything I worked so hard to achieve these last 5 years,” Ramirez said. “The only thing that makes any sense is that there was a contaminated substance that I was taking… All the products I was taking are 100% natural and I haven’t changed anything for 5 years. We have a saying, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I am personally paying out of my pocket to continue my appeal, and have all the 8 products I was taking tested.”
Here’s the full post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp55G48lBjW/
Ramirez, as well as Holm and Botteghi, tested positive for metabolites of GW1516, or Endurobol. Ring a bell? This is the same substance Ricky Garard got popped for last year.
Ramirez also tested positive for Ostarine, an anabolic agent. Bomfim tested positive for stanozolol metabolite and Sanchez for epimentendiol, methandienone, Ostarine and LGD4033, or Ligandrol.
According to the CrossFit Games website, Holm, who finished fourth in the women’s master’s 35-39 division, previously received a 4-year sanction, but it was reduced to two years after the appeals process.
Any CrossFit athlete notified of a banned substance violation has the right to appeal before any sanctions are imposed. They have 72 hours following the notification to provide written intent for an appeal. Read more on the process here.
Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc
