The CrossFit Open third-place finisher Lefteris Theofanidis has issued a provocative response to a failed drug test, posting to Instagram: “I don’t give a shit.”
Theofanidis wrote the words in a series of stories following a statement by CrossFit Games officials that he had tested positive for banned substances.
The Greek champion dominated the top of the leaderboard for the first four weeks of the Open in October and November last year, only missing out on first place because of a disastrous last round.
Now, nearly three months since the conclusion of the Open, a failed test which took place on December 12 at the Dubai CrossFit Championship has finally been released. Theofanidis has appealed the ruling so the controversial story could rumble on into the coming months, with officials confirming they will not list specific infractions or sanctions until after the appeals process has ended.
In Dubai, amongst a high-quality field, the 30-year-old finished an underwhelming 25th, with Canada’s Patrick Vellner - who previously beat Theofanidis to the Open crown - finishing runner-up to his compatriot Brent Fikowski.
Theofanidis managed 59th when making his debut at the Games in Madison last year following his breakthrough result of fourth in the 2019 Open, before which he had never placed in the top 100.
His positive test comes after seven athletes were found guilty of banned substance violations during and after the 2019 Games.
The culprits in those cases received suspensions ranging from two to four year.
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