A list of athletes who used steroids and got caught: Find out who is on the list

Throughout the history of competitive sports, numerous professional athletes have used steroids and performance-enhancing drugs. Unfortunately, the psychological, physical and social consequences of doping tend to outweigh the benefits. Stick around to find out more about famous athletes who used steroids and got caught.

Despite the repercussions, it is interesting to find out why athletes take performance-enhancing drugs. Stick around and learn more about athletes who have been caught using performance-enhancing drugs.

The World Anti-Doping Agency classifies doping substances as either prohibited. There are several anti-doping agencies under the umbrella of WADA that oversee continental and nationally organized sports. As a consequence of doping, hundreds of athletes who used steroids in the Olympics have faced disqualification, forfeiture of medals and bans.

Why do athletes use steroids?

Steroids have been used for a long time to increase muscle mass and build muscle strength. A study by Northwestern revealed that the need for athletes to cope with frequent injuries on the field and increase the speed of recovery from constant workouts and practice sessions has led some players to use and abuse steroids, PEDs and other recreational drugs.

Which is the best sport in the world right now and why is it the best ?

Other Sports

What percentage of athletes take steroids?

A survey by WADA in 2021 revealed that 38% of athletes tested positive for various substances on the prohibited list. In addition, the NCAA revealed that 24% of college athletes reported steroid use, while 85% reported that they used performance-enhancing drugs and dietary supplements.

Unfortunately, because of policies in various sports, it is difficult to know how many professional athletes use steroids. For instance, there is widespread speculation about doping in the NBA, however, because of differences in individual sports policies, fewer NBA players on steroids have been revealed publicly.

How many athletes have tested positive for drugs in the Olympics?

A recent anonymous survey involving hundreds of athletes revealed that up to 57% of them used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. At the time of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, over four hundred athletes had tested positive for a range of prohibited substances, including steroids.

All Olympic athletes expected to compete are drug tested at random times to discourage steroid use during the competition and out of competition. According to the UK Anti-Doping Agency, the testing procedures can be done at any time, and any place including competition events, training venues, or an athlete’s home. Furthermore, an athlete does not get advanced notice about any of the mandatory tests.

Athletes who used steroids and got caught

Hundreds of thousands of athletes have been tested for use of prohibited substances since the 1960s. Some of the famous athletes who used steroids and other PEDs include, Kamila Valieva, Michael Phelps, Justin Gatlin, Nicklas Backstrom, Jason Gilbert Giambi, Mark David McGwire, Floyd Landis, Alex Rodriguez, and Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger. Here is a list of athletes who used steroids.

10. Dwain Chambers

As one of the athletes involved in the BALCO scandal, Dwain Chambers failed an out-of-competition resulting in a two-year ban and later a lifetime Olympic ban after failing a second test. Here is a short excerpt from his autobiography, Race Against Me: My Story, where he narrated an ordeal at the customs at Miami International Airport:

9. Soumalia Samake

Compared to other sports, the list of NBA players who used steroids is quite short, including players such as Don MacLean, Matt Geiger, Lindsey Hunter, Darius Miles, Rashard Lewis, and O.J. Mayo. In 2002, Los Angeles Lakers centre, Samake, received a five-game suspension from the NBA without pay after testing positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone.

8. Lyle Alzado

In 1984, UPI Associated Press reported the deaths of six athletes who used steroids and died in the United States of America. Lyle Alzado, a football player who used steroids, succumbed to a rare brain cancer linked to continued steroid use in 1992.

7. The Russian Olympic team

2014 marked the beginning of one of the largest doping scandals after a self-exiled Russian Anti-Doping Agency official and his wife revealed details about Russia's state-sponsored doping program. In 2015, independent investigations on the Russian Olympic team found the involvement of Russian intelligence agents in shadow laboratories and botched urine samples.

Until 2021, the Russian nation was banned from Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, and the Paralympics, with only individual Russian athletes or unaffiliated athletes allowed to participate. At the 2021 Tokyo Games, hundreds of Russian athletes participated under the Russian Olympic Committee flag.

6. Jose Canseco

Why was Jose Canseco called the Chemist? Jose Canseco's notoriety as a heavy steroid user and distributor earned him the nickname 'the Chemist'. In his memoir, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, the 1988 MLB Most Valuable Player famously wrote,

5. Ben Johnson

Canadian sprinter, Ben Johnson, held the title of the world's fastest man in 1987 and 1988 after completing a 100 m race in his personal best time of 9.79 seconds. However, Johnson, who had won the 1987 Canadian Sportsperson and the Associated Press Athlete of the Year, lost his Olympic gold medals after failing a drug test.

4. Marion Jones

One of the most famous track and field athletes who used steroids, is Marion Jones, the current World Record holder in the 4 x 200 m relay. Unfortunately, as one of the most successful black female athletes of her time, Jones' downfall saw her lose her titles, and medals and serve a six-month-long jail term for lying to a grand jury.

3. Rita Jeptoo

One of the top African female athletes who used steroids is Kenyan marathon runner, Rita Jeptoo. The three-time Boston Marathon champion received a two-year ban in 2014 from Athletics Kenya after testing positive for Human Recombinant EPO (rEPO).

In the same year, the IAAF and the court of arbitration for sport extended the ban to four years with a $15,335 fine. Erythropoietin use in sports has been linked to enhanced performances by increasing oxygen transport capacity in athletes and improving endurance.

2. Lance Armstrong

Following a long court battle, the USADA and the International Cycling Union stripped seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong, of all seven titles and imposed a lifetime ban on the former cycling pro. The scandal that rocked the sport shook entire teams at the US Postal Service cycling team and the RadioShack team.

1. Pep Guardiola

The retired Spanish midfielder, Pep Guardiola, is one of the most renowned soccer players caught using steroids. In 2001, the high-profile football manager tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone prompting a four-month football ban and a seven-month suspended jail sentence.

Although doping is generally looked down upon, the careers of some athletes who used steroids and got caught have continued successfully. However, the habitual use of PEDs among professional athletes has raised the question of legalizing steroid use.

Sportsbrief recently published an article about Michael Oher's much-awaited nuptials to his long-time girlfriend, Tiffany Roy. The heavenly wedding captured the hearts of millions of fans around the globe.

Who is Tiffany Roy? Click on the link above to learn more about Michael Oher, his lovely bride, children, biological mother and more.