How Africa
In a shameful turn of events at the Rio 2016 Olympics, a bronze-winning athlete was stripped of his medal after he tested positive for a banned substance.
Kyrgyzstan’s 22-year-old Izzat Artykov tested positive for the stimulant strychnine, which is toxic in high doses.
Artykov had “rat poison” detected in his system
The drug which is commonly referred to as rat poison, causes muscular convulsions before death through asphyxia when ingested.
Those convulsions had been thought to be beneficial in tiny doses in the past, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was used in small doses as an athletic performance enhancer, and recreational stimulant.
With his ban, the Kyrgyz lifter became the first medallist at the Rio Games to test positive for a banned substance.
Strychnine, reportedly used widely by cyclists in the early days of the Tour de France, is defined as a stimulant in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances.
Izzat Artykov’s medal will go to Colombia’s Luis Javier Mosquera instead.
