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NNN0LHI

(67,190 posts)
Mon Jul 30, 2012, 10:42 AM Jul 2012

East German swim coach: "Hey, we’re here to win a swim meet, not to sing!"

http://mmeat.narod.ru/AnabolicAthletics.htm

Baritones in the Pool

Not all of East Germany’s drug programs ran as smoothly as the track and field protocol. With the swim team, Testosterone remained the drug of choice leading up to the 1976 Olympics. Side effects were becoming obvious with the women swimmers, especially their deep voices. When confronted by the media about the voice changes, the head swim coach replied, "Hey, we’re here to win a swim meet, not to sing!"

Of course, the cat was out of the bag after that and others would be free to copy their methods. The swim federation’s medical staff decided to take the drug program to another level for the 1978 World Championships. Testosterone was replaced with an esoteric cocktail of hormones. The swim team, which had been all-conquering in 1976, was wiped out at the Worlds. The East Germans fired the medical staff and returned to the basics.

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