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Phil Toon, 2nd at Granite Games, Fails Drug Test and Is Provisionally Disqualified

Toon blames the consumption of Finasteride, a medication he took to combat male-pattern baldness.

Phil Toon will not be going to his first CrossFit Games despite finishing 2nd at the Granite Games. He said he failed his drug test and the appeal process will not finish before the beginning of the Games in Madison, making him provisionally disqualified.

CrossFit is yet to announce Phil Toon’s situation, but the American athlete posted on his Instagram stories to clarify what happened. He blames a product called Finasteride, which he used to combat male-pattern baldness.

Finasteride was first banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2005 because it could be used to mask the use of certain steroids. In 2009, WADA removed Finasteride from its banned list after improvements in testing methods.

Phil Toon’s Response

”The finasteride was a prescription because I showed signs of male-pattern baldness, so I was able to fill up that prescription for myself. I have been taking 1 milligram of finasteride for the past 8 to 10 months and I had no idea that this was the result of it. But at the same time it is my fault. I do take ownership for that. But I really don’t believe a penalty should be asserted for this as it has no performance enhancement.

In the screenshots Phil Toon showed on his Instagram stories, his sample contained:

  • 2a-methyl-5a-androstan 3a-ol-17-one – metabolite of drostanolone (anabolic agents)
  • 19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone
  • T/E ratio of 5.25 – threshold T/£ ratio is 4.0

Should it be made official, Nick Mathew will receive an official invitation to the CrossFit Games after finishing 6th at the Granite Games.

Read More: 10 PEDs Banned by CrossFit and How They Affect the Human Body

What Does CrossFit’s Drug Policy State?

Item 13 of CrossFit’s Drug Policy is what needs to be looked at.

It says ‘The following will be considered in a drug test appeal:

  • The athlete used due diligence prior to ingesting a supplement and is able to prove the banned substance was not listed on the label. […] In this situation, the athlete must provide proof that they did not know and could not reasonably have known or suspected that they had ingested a supplement containing a banned substance.

CrossFit’s Policy Drug also states that the following will not be considered in a drug test appeal:

  • The type or amount of banned substance detected through the drug test as banned substances is often used in small or trace amounts.
  • The degree to which the banned substance may or may not affect athletic performance.

It also states, in bold letters, that “athletes are solely responsible for what they put on or into their bodies.”

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