ATHLETICS
Duncan Mackay
Ludmila Engquist’s story sounds like the stuff of a Hollywood blockbuster.
How she grew up as a cog in the Soviet sports machinery; failed a drugs test only to be cleared by a judge after her tyrannical husband admitted he had spiked her drink in revenge for her asking for a divorce; fled to Sweden to marry the man she had been having an affair with; brought joy to her new nation by winning an Olympic gold medal in the 100 metres hurdles; and then contracted breast cancer but battled back against the odds to regain her position among the world’s top athletes.
Inspiring stuff.
But in Hollywood the heroine would never have soiled her reputation at the end with the staggering twist of admitting on television that she had smuggled banned anabolic steroids from Russia in an effort to help her in a new career as a member of Sweden’s Olympic bobsleigh team.
Engquist, who became a Swedish citizen in 1996, admitted recently that she had used banned steroids because she had panicked about her preparations during the lead-up to the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
She made the confession after being chosen for a random drugs test in Norway, knowing she would fail. “I [took the steroids] out of panic,” she said. “I wanted to get my confidence back.”
There will be plenty of people around the world dismayed at Engquist’s stupidity. She had earned iconic status in Sweden for her extraordinary fight against cancer.
She had been signed up as an ambassador by Nike and had been lauded by royalty in Monte Carlo for the bravery she had shown in the face of adversity.
She has cheated every single one of them. “She’s let down all her fans,” wrote Aftonbladet, a major Swedish newspaper. “You can’t do anything but cry about this.”
Her admission has also started a criminal probe that could result in fines and a prison sentence as Engquist has admitted using illegal substances and smuggling them into Sweden.
Police seized a safe, computers and documents as they served a search warrant on Engquist’s house outside Stockholm last week.
She claimed to be so distressed that she tried to kill herself. “I wanted to die and swallowed a bottle of painkillers.”
Engquist said she hated bobsledding and had tried to quit several times but couldn’t do it. That is when, she claimed, she turned to steroids to help her rebuild her confidence.
Engquist’s story is ultimately one of betrayal and greed. It leaves you wondering whether you can believe in anyone in sport.