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Why Do Athletes Use Performance Enhancing Drugs?

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Seven muscle-bound sprinters all standing at the starting block, the hot sun beating down on them and sweat dripping off their faces, this is the moment they all have been waiting for. The gun is fired and the sprinters are off, 100 meters and 9.79 seconds later, Ben Johnson crossed the finish line, he is the new world champion and became the fastest men in history. Within hours Johnson tested positive for the use of performance enhancing drugs which are illegal, he was stripped of his gold medal, world record, and banned from the sport. Many competitive sports banned the use of performance enhancing drugs because they are negative to the players and the sport. Therefore, the use of performance enhancing drugs, also known as PED’s, should continue to be illegal because it is harmful to the athletes and creates a …show more content…

As a result of taking PED’s can lead to serious health problems such as heart failure, blood clots, deaths, and much more. In addition to deaths caused by PED’s, Claire Squires a 30 year old female runner collapsed a mile away from the finish line during the London marathon and died two hours later. Her death was caused by PED’s which sped up her heart rate. The doctor said that “she had taken a supplement containing DMAA combined with extreme physical exertion lead to her death”(William). This shows that it is not just the major athletes taking these drugs but also people like you and me. In addition to health problems caused by PED’s, the famous British cyclist, Tommy Simpson died during the 13th stage of the Tour de France. Simpsons death was caused by excess amounts of PED’s which increased his heart rate. Simpson went by the moto “if it takes ten to kill you, take nine and win”(Simpson).

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