Last month I reported that the Agence française de lutte contre le dopage (AFLD) reported multiple failed drug tests from CrossFit athletes over the years. These samples were collected at the 2023 French Throwdown and other French competitions.
The problem was, though, that the AFLD did not disclose who failed their drug test. You might be wondering why an anti-doping organization would test an athlete, find they were taking banned substances and then keep those names anonymous.
And to be honest it makes no sense to me either. At the time I reached out to the AFLD to get more information. I asked the AFLD the following questions:
- Explain why the name of the athlete was not disclosed in these decisions?
- Were the names shared with anyone at CrossFit, LLC, or the organizers of the events where the drug test samples were collected (French Throwdown or Affiliates Battles)?
I received the following response:
“The World antidoping agency (WADA) does not require public disclosure for « recreational athletes », which is the case for crossfit athletes in France.”
I followed up on my second bullet point, but never received a response back from the AFLD.
As a result of my reporting that athletes tested positive, many were speculating who it could have been. Apparently some were pointing the finger at Metty Greneron. Greneron finished 2nd place at the 2023 French Throwdown.
This afternoon Greneron shared two Instagram stories to clear her name. The first story is an image of an email she sent to the AFLD asking them to confirm she was not tested while competing at the 2023 French Throwdown. In that email, Greneron said sponsors and other sports had asked if she could show proof she had not failed a drug test.
That email was sent on November 8. Then, this morning, November 25, the AFLD responded to Greneron’s request absolving her of testing positive at the 2023 French Throwdown.
The letter reads:
By email dated November 8, 2024, you asked the French Anti-Doping Agency to provide you with proof of your non-selection for doping controls during the CrossFit event entitled “French Throwdown” which took place from June 23 to 25, 2023.
I hereby confirm that during the above-mentioned event you were not designated to undergo an anti-doping test, nor were you consequently subject to an abnormal analytical result.
The Legal and Institutional Affairs Department is at your disposal to provide you with any additional information you may require.
Greneron adds that she had registered in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting in 2023 and her name would have been published had she failed a drug test.
So with that, the mystery continues as to who tested positive at the 2023 French Throwdown.
