GB Paralympic cyclist Schrager handed two-year ban after positive drug test

Daphne Schrager, 25, a silver medallist from the Paris 2024 Paralympics, has been handed a two-year ban for testing positive for the banned substance Ligandrol following an out-of-competition test conducted last year, according to BBC Sport.

Ligandrol is a selective androgen receptor modulator that selectively builds muscle and bone mass. The National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) tribunal, per BBC Sport, found that while Schrager had not intentionally used a banned substance, she had not proved that it was inadvertent environmental contamination. Schrager had argued she had been exposed to environmental contamination, pointing to two possible scenarios: exposure at a gym where she received a massage, or at a shared home address.

The ban is backdated to 2 June 2025, when Schrager was initially suspended, and will end 1 June 2027. As a result, she will be ineligible to compete for England at the Commonwealth Games currently taking place in Glasgow. However, the timing of the ban's expiration means she remains eligible to compete at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, per the reporting.

Schrager has maintained her innocence, insisting she has never cheated. The NADP tribunal's decision draws a distinction between intent and liability, ruling against her contamination defence without finding deliberate rule violation.