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Using Performance Drugs: Tara Nott-Cunningham talks Steroid Use
Weightlifting, Olympic gold medalist
I was a gymnast for 10 years. I was strong and powerful – but I found gymnastics too intense for me. When I quit – I missed the athletic competition. Then, five years ago, I started training for another sport – weightlifting. Right away, I was pretty good at it. I competed in the lightest weight class – the 50-kilo. Eight months after starting lifting, I won the national championships.
And then the rumors started to fly about me. "She’s got to be taking drugs". "No one could be that good so fast!" You see – taking performance drugs is very common in my sport. But I would never do that. It’s against the rules, it’s not fair and it’s very dangerous.
I got so angry about the rumors. I was so insulted. I hated cheating. My coach said, "Tara, take it as a compliment. You are just so good. You know that you wouldn’t do it. You know who you are."
A lot of people take artificial drugs in my sport because it is an easier, quicker way to improve their strength. Let’s face it – training for weightlifting competition is very, very hard. It means hours and hours in the gym every day. I love it, but some people don’t want to work hard and they don’t care about cheating.
When I go to international events, it is easy to spot the girls who are taking performance-enhancing drugs. They have deep voices. They have lots of acne. Their bodies look like men’s. They are even growing beards. They are so wrapped up in taking the drugs and not getting caught that they don’t realize what they are doing to themselves until it is too late.
At the 2000 Olympic Games I had a direct experience with the effects of drug use. I had won the silver medal, and boy, was I thrilled! Then three days later, the girl from Bulgaria who had won the gold tested positive for illegal performance drug use. They gave the gold to me. I really felt her shame. She not only lost her gold medal, but she lost the respect of her country and the whole world.
Winning gets way too important for some people. I see high school kids taking drugs to unnaturally bulk up. Some of these substances even come from the "health food" store. But Andro and Creatine are dangerous, too. It makes me so sad to see these girls destroying themselves.
Sport is a wonderful journey. You get to prove something to yourself every day. And winning can be fun. But it is sure not worth risking your health, risking your ability to have a baby one day, or risking your life.
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