2023 CrossFit Games Athlete Jason Smith Tests Positive for Performance-Enhancing Drugs, Is Provisionally Suspended
The 2023 CrossFit Games are scheduled for Aug. 1-6 in Madison, WI. Two-time reigning Fittest Man on Earth® Justin Medeiros will attempt a three-peat against the world’s top CrossFitters following the 2023 CrossFit Semifinals.
One athlete initially slated to contend for the Games throne was South Africa’s Jason Smith, who won the 2023 Africa Semifinal to punch his ticket to the Games. However, on the morning of July 28, an email sent by CrossFit HQ confirmed that Smith tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Smith is appealing the decision but is provisionally suspended in the interim.
Per CrossFit’s email, Smith “provided a sample at the competition that contained exogenous 5a-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5aAdiol) and 5b-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5bAdiol).” Both are metabolites of testosterone, with the latter being “a synthetic compound that is structurally similar to the natural hormone estradiol,” typically used to combat inflammation, according to Biosynth. (1)
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In an Instagram post, Smith said he was informed of his failed drug test nearly two months after his Africa Semifinal victory and will not compete at the 2023 CrossFit Games. His statement suggested that he is unsure how his drug test could have returned with a positive result for PEDs and explicitly did not issue an apology.
I am getting legal and medical advice and will be appealing the decision by CrossFit. I will get to the bottom of this.
The 2023 Africa Semifinal runner-up, Conrad Winnertz, was offered an invitation to the 2023 Games as a result of Smith’s provisional suspension but declined due to injury. A replacement athlete for Smith has not been named at the time of this article’s publication.
Jason Smith’s CrossFit Career
Prior to 2023, Smith had three career CrossFit Games appearances. He made his Games debut in 2017 with a 10th-place finish overall. He returned to the Games in 2019 and then again in 2021, failing to survive the cut in either contest.
Smith’s record at CrossFit Semifinals is consistent and dominant. He won the 2021 Fittest in Cape Town Semifinal and returned a year later to claim the silver medal. As previously mentioned, he won the 2023 Africa Semifinal by 96 points over runner-up Winnertz and 99 points over bronze-medalist Ruan Potgieter.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available about Smith’s appeal.
Reference
- (2023). Retrieved 28 July 2023, from https://www.biosynth.com/p/FA17909/1851-23-6-5b-androstan-3a17b-diol#:~:text=2937290000%20%2D%20China%3A%202937290099-,5b%2DAndrostan%2D3a%2C17b%2Ddiol%20is%20a%20synthetic,such%20as%20psoriasis%20and%20arthritis.
Featured image: @j_smithsa on Instagram