CrossFit athlete Chantelle Loehner came in 23rd at the 2019 CrossFit Open to qualify for the Games as an individual athlete and she helped Team Invictus (Maddy Myers, Sam Dancer, and Holden Rethwill) win an invite to the 2019 CrossFit Games… But, after a recent failed drug test at the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge, her future as a competitor is at stake.
Loehner explained that she received an email which delivered the bad news and described the situation as a “nightmare”…
She expressed her frustration in an Instagram post where she wrote the following…
“I feel like I am living a nightmare. This week I received an email notifying me that I tested positive for a banned substance at the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge. I am shocked and devastated. I have never knowingly taken a performance enhancing drug.”
But Loehner is not giving up that easily as she will fight for her right to compete, and her reputation as an elite CrossFit athlete. She denies taking any banned substances and if she happens to fail the second drug test, then her team’s win will have been in vain…
“I have requested testing of my B sample and hope it will prove the first test was an error. I understand that it’s my responsibility to know what goes into my body and would never intentionally jeopardize the integrity of this sport, nor would I ever risk disappointing my teammates, coaches, friends and family. I will trust the process and pray for a fair resolution.”
Team Invictus posted an Instagram message in response to Loehner’s positive drug test which showed a lot of support for the athlete during her extremely difficult circumstances…
“This week Chantelle Loehner received notice that her urine sample from the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (“MACC”) tested positive for a banned substance. Chantelle finished the Open in a qualifying spot as an individual athlete, and was a member of our Invictus X team at the MACC. The result of the test is not yet conclusive; her B sample will be tested next week. We love and support Chantelle; we also have been and will always be deeply committed to a fair, safe and drug-free competitive environment. If Chantelle’s B sample is also positive, Invictus will be the first to agree that any competitive result to which she contributed should be invalidated – whether she knowingly or unknowingly ingested the substance.”
Hopefully, Chantelle Loehner can turn this whole situation around to be in her favor to avoid losing her individual, and team invites to the CrossFit Games in Madison Wisconsin this year. But most importantly, Loehner doesn’t want to let her family, friends, teammates, and supporters down as she’s made it her utmost responsibility to uphold a high standard of ethics as a CrossFit competitor.
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