According to Slovenian publication www.planet.si, Slovenian National Record Holder Tanja Smid has announced that she tested positive for a banned substance at the Serbian Open Championships in late February.
“A positive test is the result of my negligence,” Smid is quoted as saying in Slovenian. “The news shocked me and following an examination of supplements that I take, I quickly saw that I was due to negligence that I did a lot of stupid and reckless things to take drops for weight loss.”
While Smid did not say what the substance was that she tested positive for, she did take responsibility for the accidental ingestion and apologized to her teammates.
She also said that she planned for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games to be the end of her career, but says effectively that as a result of the positive test, she will retire now and end her career.
Smid, who has been hampered by shoulder injuries over the last few years, earned a silver medal in the 200 breaststroke at the 2010 European Short Course Championships. She was one of 12 swimmers that represented Slovenia at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, where she placed 33rd in the 200 breaststroke.
The 26-year old is the country’s National Record holder in the 200 breaststroke in both long course and short course meters, including a 2:27.73 in the long course version at the 2010 European Championships.
At the Serbian Championships where she tested positive, Smid won both the 100 breaststroke (1:10.11) and 200 breaststroke (2:29.18), both in times well short of her personal bests. A week later at a meet in Kranj, Slovenia, she swam a 2:26.93 in the 200 breaststroke in long course, which was eight-tenths faster than her National Record in that event. That record is now unlikely to be ratified as a result of the prior positive test.
If she was really doping to get better results she wasn’t doing a very good job
I believe her story, and I am sorry that it happened at the end of her competitive career. This kind of thing can happen to a lot of world class athletes, and her response to the issue is more than fair.
Well not happy about the positive test. But she stood up and took the blame, and the punishment. I respect that, quite refreshing in a sport where excuses are the norm.
I’d love to know what substance she tested positive for, but she’s retiring so I guess it is moot.