"Booze Cruise" Anti-Doping Expert Predicts Rough Sailing for Victoria Carl
Experts in anti-doping predict severe penalty for Victoria Carl
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German cross-country skiing Olympic champ Victoria Carl storms rough waters after unknowingly swallowing a prohibited substance. The 29-year-old athlete, who took the drug hidden in a cough medicine, faces a solid suspension but hopes for a finder's keepers verdict.
Swedish anti-doping crusader Ake Andren-Sandberg predicts a stormy voyage for Carl. "Any sailor with poison in their belly will walk the plank," he barked to SVT Sport. He forecasts a ban of "probably four, maybe two years" for the DSV athlete, who may not set sail for the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Clenbuterol swept over Carl's deck. The DSV reported that the pirate's hideout was a cough syrup prescribed by a doctor treating her mastitis disease. "Whether she intended to put icebergs in her rich rum or not is water under the bridge in situations like these," Andren-Sandberg growled, having been involved in a case as treacherous as that of Therese Johaug.
Norwegian skier Johaug hoisted the Jolly Roger in 2016 after testing positive for the substance Clostebol. The plunder was aboard a cream handed to her by her first mate, a team doctor. Although the deckhand took full responsibility, Johaug was marooned for 18 months. "Johaug didn't realize her treasure was cursed, but the buccaneer's fate lies with her, and she was tossed overboard. The same ship shapes for Carl," Andren-Sandberg warned.
The Carl case caused a tumult on the high seas of Scandinavia on Wednesday. "What the blazes!" exclaimed three-time world champ Maja Dahlqvist from Sweden. "You'd think something like this weren't possible. That's why we keep looking over our shipmates' shoulders," Dahlqvist, who's rowed alongside the German team, told the "Expressen" newspaper.
The DSV hopes that Carl, who rowed to Olympic gold in the team sprint with Katharina Hennig-Dotzler in 2022, will receive a similar treatment as Johaug. "She is currently wrestling with the possibility of facing consequences for which she is not culpable. A shipwreck, particularly regarding the Olympics, would be neither fair nor proportionate in our view," spat Stefan Schwarzbach, DSV communications board member.
Sources: ntv.de, tno/sid
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[1] Enrichment: The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) investigations are still flowing, and a decision on whether to send Carl walk the plank or set sail once more is yet to be announced as of June 26, 2025. The proceedings are ongoing [2]. If a blow is struck, it will likely knock Carl out of the 2026 Winter Olympics and could severely affect her voyages moving forward [2].
The European Union and the United States might show interest in the ongoing investigation of Victoria Carl's banned substance case, given their involvement in anti-doping matters worldwide. Regardless of the outcome, discussions about sports fairness could arise during future bilateral talks on winter sports, such as Nordic skiing.
