Skeleton Racer Hopes For Redemption In Vancouver
It's one of the oldest cliches in the book: An athlete at a major sporting event says, "I'm just happy to be here."
Zach Lund means it — he's thrilled to be in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the Winter Olympics, which begin Friday. And this time, he plans to stick around.
Four years ago, Lund arrived at the winter games in Turin, Italy, favored to win the gold medal in skeleton, which is an event like luge, except the racer goes headfirst.
He was forced to leave the Olympics because of an 11th-hour drug suspension.
Lund called it his "walk of shame." Kicked out of the 2006 games, he had to pass by U.S. teammates in a staging area getting ready for the opening ceremony.
"Everyone was out in their gear, lookin' all snazzy, and I was walking out with my bags, which was kind of embarrassing in a way," Lund says. "A couple of hours before that, I was going to be right there with them."
Lund recounted that painful moment the following day in a park in Turin.
His thinning hair had been the culprit. Lund had been trying to save it for several years with hair-loss medication that contained a substance called finasteride.
Lund always had written it down on drug testing forms, and always made sure finasteride wasn't on the list of banned drugs — until 2005.
"After five years of checking," Lund says, "I figured, you know what? This is obviously not illegal. I guess I just got comfortable with that fact."
But as all Olympians know, you have to pay attention all the time.
Olympic athletes are the most tested of any — they have to let testers know their whereabouts around the clock. It's part of the athlete's job to be careful and to check the banned list.
Lund didn't check once, and because of that, he missed the addition of finasteride to the banned list. The World Anti-Doping Agency, known as WADA, decided finasteride could be used to mask steroids.
Lund tested positive and was suspended for a year. In announcing the punishment, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said it found Lund to be an honest athlete and that it was suspending him with a heavy heart.
Lund says he left Turin devastated but full of resolve. "I came back with a vengeance the next year — had a lot to prove."
In 2007, Lund won the skeleton overall World Cup title. But a year later, cruising toward the Vancouver Olympics, he hit another emotional pothole.
WADA announced in late 2008 that it was taking finasteride off the banned list. The agency said its labs successfully rendered finasteride ineffective as a steroid-masking agent.
"That was a big punch in the gut," Lund says. "I already knew I wasn't a cheat, but to have it confirmed that it was all for nothing, it was all for naught — that's hard to accept. I've done my best to cope with it, but it hasn't been easy."
When the anger does spill over, much of it is directed at WADA, which pushed for Lund's suspension after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency decided to only give Lund a public warning.
WADA Director General David Howman defends his agency's actions, saying Lund "was subject to the rules that were in place at the time, and he was dealt with accordingly."
Howman is equally unrepentant about the WADA decision to take finasteride off the banned list. He says many athletes have tested positive for substances that have subsequently been removed.
"You cannot go back and review the cases and say, well, therefore, because the rules have changed today, they should've been different yesterday," Howman adds.
Lund believes this is the tough talk of an unbending agency that considers itself policeman, judge and jury in drug cases. He thinks the anti-doping system over which WADA presides is broken — unwilling to distinguish between an athlete who dopes by mistake, as Lund says he did, and one who's a hard-core user of performance-enhancing drugs.
Maybe that was the case in the past, but less so now. And it was the Lund case that helped bring about change.
Howman says the six-year-old WADA code, which harmonizes anti-doping rules around the world, was revised last year to go easier in some cases, and harder in others.
"The sort of cases [in which] you might have an inadvertent doping have a more flexible process within the sanction process," Howman says. "The other end of it is that we have now rules which are firmer. The athletes who have committed aggravated cases of doping can be sanctioned up to four years."
One U.S. anti-doping official says this shows the system is far from broken. What's truly reflective of a fair system, the official says, is one that tries to get better.
Lund says this past skeleton racing season has been less than ideal. He's had a nagging hamstring injury, and he finished 12th in the world.
But the outlook isn't bleak. Lund feels confident in his physical appearance — he now shaves his head.
"Looking back on it," he says, laughing, "I wish I did this a long time ago!"
Plus he makes money for it, endorsing a head-shaving blade.
Lund feels good about his Olympic event, too. He says the Olympic skeleton track fits his style — built for a technical slider, and very fast.
In addition, he doesn't have the pressure of being the gold-medal favorite this time around.
Finally: He gets to race.
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STEVE INSKEEP, host:
You know, when you make it to the Olympics and somebody asks if you expect to win a medal, one properly modest response is I'm just happy to be here. You say that even if you don't really mean it. But American Zack Lund really means it. He is thrilled to be in Vancouver for Friday's start of the Winter Olympics.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Four years ago, Lund showed up at the Winter Olympics in Italy, favored to win a gold medal in skeleton. That's the event like luge, except head first.
Lund forced to leave because of a last-minute drug suspension. Now he's back, as NPR's Tom Goldman reports.
TOM GOLDMAN: Zach Lund called it his walk of shame. Kicked out of the 2006 Winter Olympics because of a positive drug test, he had to pass by U.S. teammates getting ready for the opening ceremony.
Mr. ZACH LUND (USA Olympic Skeleton Competitor): Everyone was out in their gear, looking all snazzy, and I was walking out with my bags, which was kind of embarrassing, in a way.
GOLDMAN: Lund recounted that painful moment the next day in a park in Turin, Italy. As we spoke, my gaze drifted up to his hair. That thinning hair was the culprit. Lund had been trying to save if for several years with hair loss medication containing a substance called finasteride. He'd always written it down on drug-testing forms, always made sure finasteride wasn't on the list of banned drugs - until 2005.
Mr. LUND: After five years of checking, I figured, you know what? This is obviously not illegal. And I guess I just got comfortable with that fact.
GOLDMAN: Because he didn't check, Lund missed the addition of finasteride to the banned list. The World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, decided it could be used to mask steroids.
Lund tested positive and was suspended for a year. In announcing the punishment, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said it found Lund to be an honest athlete and that it was suspending him with a heavy heart. Now, Lund says he left Turin devastated, but full of resolve.
Mr. LUND: I came back with a vengeance the next year, had a lot to prove.
Unidentified Man #1: Once again, this is getting to be a regular occurrence, Zach Lund is your champion at the FIBT Skeleton World Cup here in Park City. Zach, you said you were...
GOLDMAN: In 2007, Lund won the skeleton overall World Cup title. But a year later, cruising toward the Vancouver Olympics, he hit another emotional pothole. WADA announced in late 2008 it was taking finasteride off the banned list.
Mr. LUND: I think that was a big punch in the gut, because I already knew I wasn't a cheat, but to have it confirmed that it was all for nothing, it was all for naught, that's hard to accept. And I've done my best to cope with it, but it hasn't been easy.
GOLDMAN: When the anger does spill over, much of it is directed at WADA, which pushed for Lund's suspension after the United States Anti-Doping Agency decided to only give Lund a public warning. Lund thinks WADA is an unbending agency that considers itself policeman, judge and jury in drug cases. He says the anti-doping system over which WADA presides is broken, unwilling to distinguish between an athlete who dopes by mistake, as Lund says he did, and one who's a hardcore user. Maybe that was the case in the past, but less so now. And it was the Zach Lund case that helped bring about change.
WADA Director General David Howman says the six-year-old WADA code, which harmonizes anti-doping rules around the globe, was revised last year to go easier in some cases and harder in others.
Mr. DAVID HOWMAN (Director General, WADA): The sort of cases that you might have of inadvertent doping have a more flexible process within the sanction process. The other end of it is that we have now rules which are firmer, and the athletes who have committed aggravated cases of doping can be sanctioned up to four years.
GOLDMAN: One U.S. anti-doping official says this shows the system is far from broken. What's truly reflective of a fair system, the official says, is one that tries to get better.
Unidentified Man #2: Saw time was 5:58. He had a 56 in the first heat. And it does not look really clean what Zach does here.
GOLDMAN: Zach Lund says the past skeleton season has been less than ideal. He's had a nagging hamstring injury, and he finished ranked 12th in the world. But the outlook isn't bleak. He feels confident in his physical appearance. He now shaves his head.
Mr. LUND: Looking back on it, I was like, man, I wish I did this a long time ago.
(Soundbite of laughter)
GOLDMAN: And he makes money for it, endorsing a head-shaving blade. And Zach Lund feels good about his event. He says the Olympic skeleton track up at Whistler fits his style. He doesn't have the pressure of being the favorite this time, and, finally, he gets to race.
Tom Goldman, NPR News, Vancouver. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
