Here’s why Roderick Townsend-Roberts’ glory at the Paris Paralympics has a pungent odor of controversy
Roderick Townsend-Roberts may have racked up the three peat in the High Jump T47 of Paralympics and yet controversy continues to be his companion.
Roderick Townsend-Roberts (Image courtesy: X)
Team USA captain Roderick Townsend-Roberts completed the three-peat in the latest iteration of the Paralympics, winning the T47 high-jump finals on Sunday night. He registered a 2.12m jump equivalent to 6 feet 11.5 inches, amassing his third straight gold of the event. However, the American captain has found himself in a bit of a pickle after a former investigation against him has been brought to light by an X user.
As per the post, last November, Townsend-Roberts tested positive for the growth hormone stimulator, Capromorelin, which has been prohibited in section S2.2.4 of the WADA Prohibited List. As mentioned on the Wikipedia page of Capromorelin, ‘it stimulates the secretion of growth hormone and as a ghrelin mimetic which causes the body to secrete human growth hormone as seen in puberty’.
The investigation that was conducted saw Townsend-Roberts walk scot-free after he nailed his colors to the mast. The USA Paralympics Team captain said he gave his ailing dog medication containing Capromorelin.
Post his dog’s passing away, he kept the same oral syringe and used it to take legal vitamins himself, which resulted in the unfortunate event. The USADA CEO Travis Tygart told the media that Townsend-Roberts did provide a prescription for his dog which had Capromorelin mentioned in it and hence, it was proved that he was clean.
However, the X user upon further investigation found that Townsend-Roberts was working with Justin King who was his strength and conditioning coach and in several other posts, the latter has actually justified the use of growth hormones.
In another post, King was found to be working as a trainer where he preached about hormone therapy and another drug called Tesamorelin, which has also been banned by WADA. Even though the acquittal of Roderick Townsend raised a few questions, yet as per the latest public records, there is nothing against the American Paralympic legend.
A glance at Roderick Townsend-Roberts at the Games
It was a close contest between Roderick Townsend and India’s Nishad Kumar in the final. Kumar did put up a show and almost out leapt the 2.12m mark, but ended up rattling the bar every time. Eventually, at the end of it all, the Indian para-athlete lay in defeat before Townsend-Roberts came and embraced him to acknowledge the sheer spirit that he had shown.
Roderick Townsend-Roberts has claimed three Olympic titles in men’s high jump T47 over the years. The latest came in Paris while the other two came in the Rio Games in 2016 and the Tokyo Games in 2020.
He also holds two medals in the long jump T47 category as he clinched the gold in Rio de Janeiro while landing the silver in Tokyo. Apart from his heroics on the world’s greatest stage, he has also won five gold medals in the World Championships while clinching four silvers.
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