We are just four weeks away from the start of the 2024 CrossFit Games season, but CrossFit has just handed out a 4-year sanction to Valentina Rangel for failing an in-competition drug test at the 2023 Copa Sur, the host of the South America Semifinal. The announcement comes 246 days following the administration of the drug test.
Rangel, who finished in 3rd place at the 2023 CrossFit Semifinal, provided a sample on May 28, 2023, the final day of competition. That sample tested positive for a metabolite of Stanozolol, a banned substance.
Rangel’s 3rd place finish last year meant she was just one spot shy of qualifying for her first CrossFit Games appearance. She had qualified for Semifinals the last three years (2021-2023) and had competed on a team at Regionals in 2018.
Stanozolol is a man-made steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Benefits of Stanozolol use include lean muscle mass production while simultaneously burning fat faster than usual, improved stamina and oxygen intake and reduced fatigue. It was first banned by the International Olympic Committee in 1974 and, as of 2015, has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Rangel is the ninth athlete to fail a drug test stemming from the 2023 CrossFit Games season. The other athletes who failed a drug test last year include:
