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Rick Zamperin: Russian Olympic curler fails doping test. Wait a minute, a curler?

Click to play video: 'Russian medal-winning curler suspected of doping at Pyeongchang Games'
Russian medal-winning curler suspected of doping at Pyeongchang Games
Russian bronze medal curler Alexander Krushelnitsky is suspected of testing positive for a banned substance. It still needs to be confirmed by a "B sample." – Feb 18, 2018

Not a good look Russia. Not a good look.

Even after Russia was banned from the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics over its state-sponsored doping scandal, forcing 168 athletes to compete as Olympic Athletes from Russia, comes news of a Russian who has failed a doping test in South Korea.

To make matters worse, Alexander Krushelnitsky could lose the bronze medal he and his wife Anatasia Bryzgalova won in mixed doubles curling.

That’s right, Krushelnitsky is a curler who has been caught with Meldonium in his urine.

It’s the same substance that led to Maria Sharapova’s 15 month suspension from women’s tennis and is usually used to treat people who have had a heart attack.

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Krushelnitsky has reportedly told Russian officials that he thinks a teammate who was not chosen for the Olympics spiked his drink with the banned substance before he traveled to PyeongChang.

To be honest, I think I believe him.

Why, you ask?

I used to curl in my younger days and it is a phenomenal sport.

But you don’t have to be a decathlete to curl. No offence to decathletes, or curlers.

A curler’s performance enhancing drug of choice is an ice cold pint of their favourite beer.

Now, if Krushelnitsky had tested positive for grain, hops and yeast I would believe that.

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