Among a number of domestic athletes convicted of using the banned meldonium was the volleyball player of the Russian national team, Moscow Dynamo Alexander Markin. He revealed to Lente.ru the details of the incident, and also speculated about the importance of pharmacology in modern sports.
"Lenta.ru": How did you find out that your doping test tested positive for meldonium?
Alexander Markin: On February 10th, I received an email. Then they called from the club, asked to come to the hall. There they said that meldonium was found in me. I didn't believe it at first. The first two weeks I was in shock, different thoughts entered my head, then it let go a little.
Why did it become public only a month later?
After consulting with lawyers and representatives of the Ministry of Sports, we decided not to make the situation public. But after a number of athletes were caught on meldonia, I was reported in the general stream. There was no longer any sense to hide something.
You finished taking meldonium long before the doping test, but the sample showed a high concentration of the drug. Why?
No one has ever investigated how long meldonium is excreted from the human body. The results are different for everyone. It turns out that it comes out slower for me. This is the reason for our miscalculation.
Did you have any indications for the use of the drug?
It was a very difficult training and playing period. Naturally, fatigue accumulated, it was necessary to recover. The doctors decided to prescribe a short course at the peak so as not to break down at all.
Did any of your teammates take the drug with you?
No, just me. When the guys found out, they were shocked, because this should not have happened.
Photo: imago sportfotodienst / Globallookpress.com
Can a modern athlete do without vitamins and meldonium-like products?
I give you a 100% guarantee that in modern sports you cannot do without additional dietary supplements - magnesium, omega, fish oil. The body of athletes is working hard, it needs to be fed with something. If you just eat a piece of meat, it will not bring the desired result, because the body has spent much more than this piece is able to give you.
Information is being spread that meldonium was banned at the initiative of the United States, since the drug is distributed only in Eastern Europe. Are you ready to believe this scenario?
Quite. But it is not I who should understand this, but the higher authorities, including the Russian ones. Hopefully they will. I heard that now they are going to expand the list of prohibited drugs, they want to ban caffeine - this is the road to nowhere.
Also caught in Meldonia, short-tracker Semyon Elistratov admitted that he agreed to everything, including a polygraph test, to prove his innocence. Are you ready to go all the way to maintain your reputation?
I can pass any test. But I think that adequate people work in the All-Russian Volleyball Federation, as well as in the International Federation. Common sense should be, I hope they understand everything. Doping is unacceptable for us, it does nothing to help volleyball players. We have never had such incidents. There were some minor violations, but no one ever used serious anabolic steroids. What was the point for me to take the drug after it was banned, and thereby “expose” myself, the guys who train and play with me, the coaches, the club, the national team and our whole country?
What punishment are you preparing for?
On April 19 we were scheduled for a hearing in Lausanne. Personally, I am counting on the mildest decision. It is wrong and senseless in this situation to take tough measures, to disqualify a person. Four years is a huge period of life. I don't want to end my career like this, at 25 years old.
Volleyball player "Dynamo" spoke in detail about the ins and outs of the scandal with Mildronat
On Thursday volleyball player Alexander Markin became a guest of the MK editorial office. Of course, it would be better if he came to us for another reason - for example, we would be happy to discuss the brilliant performance of the Dynamo player in the final of the 2016 European Olympic qualifying tournament. But what can you do, since life has turned out this way: we were talking about Sasha. About the fact that this very mildronate Markin took in December, when he was still allowed. That it is absolutely harmless: "even children are prescribed it ..."
We talked about a lot. And one thought itched in my head: how awful it will be if this wonderful guy and wonderful player, who has just started to reach his real level, does not go to the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro because of such stupidity!
- Let's start with the most common questions: what happened, how did it happen?
What happened? Found traces of mildronate in my sample. We refused to study the second sample, because it could have aggravated the situation even more, if it turned out to be positive. Then the "luminaries" were disqualified for 4 years. Therefore, we decided not to open it.
In general, you, like Masha Sharapova, must be given credit for not going around the bush, coming up with stories about the fact that something was poured on you, but they themselves honestly said what and how ...
By the way, Masha is great, I respect her decision. It is no coincidence that even her closest competitor, Serena Williams, said that in everything ... For my part, I can say: yes, I took mildronate. But within the permitted period of time. Until December 13 - and it has been banned from January 1. The Dynamo doctor and I finished the appointment well in advance, knowing that he would be withdrawn for some time - a week should have been enough. Because all the instructions say that it comes out in 36 hours. But as it turned out after this situation, when we began to delve into and make inquiries about this drug, the opinions of doctors differ and it has never been studied how much it is excreted, there is no clear data. Someone says - 2 weeks, someone - a month, someone - 90 days. Plus, each has individual characteristics of the body.
- How and when did you find out about this test - the first reaction is purely human?
Dynamo coach called me and asked me to come in. I came, they told me: what did you take? At first I did not understand what the question was. Then he explained that I had a positive doping test. At first I did not even understand the scale of the situation, but then all this began to escalate - and, of course, for a long time the morale was not very good. However, now I began to communicate with people, explain everything to everyone, including journalists. It is necessary to speak honestly. So Sharapova did the right thing. After all, otherwise they will begin to think out all sorts of stories for you, they will come up with so many that it is scary to imagine ...
In general, they say about this drug that it is harmless enough and that there is no harm from it, as well as special benefits. Did you feel any benefit?
I - no, although I was prescribed it at the age of 15, in my opinion: I had a very fast pulse, like tachycardia. Why it was banned - by the way, I do not understand. When you take Mildronate, you don't feel anything at all. By myself, I can say that it is better to drink some kind of energy drink, then at least you will feel some kind of burst of energy. And when you drink this drug, you even think: why? And it seems that all this is in vain.
- He protects the heart, no?
It seems to be helping. And it is all the more incomprehensible why it was banned. Well, how can it be harmful if prescribed to children? Probably, if it were otherwise, none of the parents would agree to this.
- In general, volleyball and doping do not really fit together ...
Yes, I will say even more. After all that happened, I searched the Internet for some articles about doping in volleyball. And I found only about the fact that 30 years ago some athlete from Asia, Japanese or Chinese, I don't remember already, was punished. In our game, doping is not needed, as it can be in some "horse" sports, where crazy endurance is required. Roughly speaking, if your hands are crooked, no drug will help you learn to play.
- Why then take the same mildronate, we do not understand!
Recovery! Our last year was difficult: many games in the championship, the cup, matches for the national team in the European Games, the Universiade, and so on - roughly speaking, it turned out that we had games in two or three days. Therefore, I took this Mildronate in December - and even then it was not a full course, a full one, in my opinion, 20 days, but here it was only 10 ...
- Well, what are the forecasts for the development of the situation?
Will decide International Federation volleyball (FIVB), and then anti-doping organizations approve or not. Let's hope that the decision will turn out to be reasonable - especially since the All-Russian Volleyball Federation provides me with maximum support in this matter.
The winger of the Moscow “Dynamo” and the Russian national team also got caught on the mildronate.
During the two days of our doping shame and shame rumbled even where doping is exotic. In volleyball, it is difficult to find a drug that will bring players a serious increase in results and will give an unambiguously positive and quick effect. Doping scandals in this form are rare and almost always look like nonsense. Alas, the anti-hero was the outgoing player of the Moscow “Dynamo” and the Russian national team, Alexander Markin.
Judging by the information available, Mildronate was used in his club, clearly hoping for those properties of the drug that allow players to recover faster after heavy exertion. Dynamo in November-January turned out to be the leaders of our league in terms of the number of tie-breaks held during the season, churning out one long match after another. At the same time, the club took part in three tournaments, and the key players of the club were involved in the Russian national team.
It was the pair of side-gamers Markin - Yuri Berezhko, together with the binder Sergei Grankin, who became the main creators Russian victory in the final of the men's Olympic qualification. Markin then played his best and brightest match of his career.
January 10. Berlin. Russia - France - 3: 1. Alexander MARKIN helped the national team to qualify in Rio. Photo AFP
When this guy can now play for the national team is a big question. His case on March 19 will be considered by the FIVB medical commission in Lausanne, and the player will most likely receive a disqualification. Markin refused to autopsy sample "B", essentially admitting his guilt. An official investigation carried out by the VFV indicates that the drug was being used in the club.
The doctors carried out the procedures in the second half of December, keeping in mind the date of the ban on the use of Mildronate, but within the required period the drug did not leave Markin's body. Apparently, now the Russian is facing excommunication from volleyball for six months. Apparently, Markin lost the opportunity to speak at the Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 25-year-old hasn't played for the club for over a month - he last entered the court in a Super League match on February 6.
This is a surprise for us. The course of the procedure was carried out in the club, we knew about this - the doctors of the Russian clubs are obliged to provide the relevant information to the medical service of the federation when it comes to the players of the national teams. It is surprising that traces of the drug remained in the player's body for more than two weeks. This was exactly what was unexpected. Markin refused to autopsy the second test, now the FIVB will make a decision on punishing the player, - the general secretary of the VFV Alexander Yaremenko outlined the picture of what happened.
Backed down on the meldonium issue?
- From all at once. From the doctor. I called him back first, so from him.
- Did you see it somewhere on the news at first?
- No, I woke up, saw the missed calls, called back, and they told me that, most likely, I am getting amnesty.
- What did you feel when you found out? Did you believe it right away?
- I did, of course. The first news a couple of days ago appeared that WADA revised some points and will explain.
We waited, in principle, but what the solution would be, I found out only on April 13 from the doctor.
- Has the federation contacted you yet? No information on when your disqualification will be permanently lifted?
- I think that it will still be decently stretched, because it is necessary to somehow fix the decision legally on paper, right? It will take some time for everyone to put the necessary signatures, to collect the documents ...
- Have they already congratulated you at Dynamo, or are they not running ahead of the locomotive yet?
- So far, I have not seen anyone there. We had last game, after which we were released until April 15, when the team will have a corporate evening. We will probably communicate there.
- Since the moment you were suspended, have you stopped training?
- I trained on an individual program. Gym, healed old injuries ... But I didn’t finish, of course - the season went on.
- What did you do after you got the results of a positive doping test?
- Yes, I didn’t do anything. I rested more, probably spent time with my family.
- You were threatened with a solid disqualification. What or who helped prevent depression? There were no thoughts at all to give up everything?
- No, it was not. (laughs) How to finish at 25 is unlikely. Well, if they were disqualified, I would not have played until forty years old, but up to 45. Where to go?
- Did you still have faith, what else can be justified?
- In general, there was faith. An unexplored drug, an unexplored elimination period. Therefore, the belief was that after the research - and people said that they took it in March, in May last year, and then the drug remained in the body this year - somehow everything should be positively resolved. It is impossible to categorically prohibit without research at once.
I think WADA has made a big step forward in terms of athletes.
- Many said that the meldonium scandal is a conspiracy against Russia. After the actions of WADA, can we say that this opinion was erroneous?
- It's not for me to talk about it. Let our bosses at the top talk about it, and our business is sports. We, in fact, do not need anything - no apologies there, medals ... Let it be easy to play.
- Aren't you afraid that the stigma of a doping athlete will remain on you?
- Let them come up to me and say to my face, and so, behind our backs, we have a lot of lovers to talk. I somehow don’t care what they say, I’ll just do my job, and I don’t really care about their opinion.
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