A Japanese kayak racer has been banned from organized competition, after getting caught spiking the drink of a rival so that he would fail a drug test.
Yasuhiro Suzuki allegedly put anabolic steroids in the drink of fellow racer Seiji Komatsu who then failed a doping test, Japan’s anti-doping agency reported this week, according to USA Today.
After his failed test, the Japan Canoe Federation (JFC) began investigating Komatsu who maintained his innocence the whole time.
At length, the 32-year-old Suzuki finally admitted that he was the one who surreptitiously administered the drug.
According to reports, Suzuki and Komatsu were vying head-to-head for a spot on Japan’s 2020 Olympics team.
“I wanted to be in the kayak four in the Tokyo Olympic Games, but I was ranked fifth with a younger kayaker higher than me. If this continued, I knew I would fail to qualify for the Olympics, so I put in (the banned drug),” Yasuhiro Suzuki later admitted.
Suzuki also said that he admitted to his perfidy after becoming wracked with guilt.
“We apologize for causing trouble, not only to canoe athletes but also to those of all other sports,” JCF Director Osahiro Haruzono said, The Asahi Shimbun reported.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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