NATIONAL basketball legend Pau Gasol has had to fend off oblique but unfounded hints in the French media about doping, but managed to deflect them with equal subtlety on Instagram.
A reporter's blog in France's best-known national daily newspaper Le Monde referred to the relationship between Gasol and Spanish physiologist Dr Nicolás Terrados when discussing the factors behind the former's apparent super-human strength and powerful play.
Dr Terrado, one-time GP to the ONCE national Spanish cycling team, was fined 30,000 French francs (about €4,080) during the 1998 Tour de France when containers of corticosteroids, anabolic substances, caffeine capsules and other stimulants were found in his hotel room.
During the same competition, ONCE team leader Laurent Jalabert tested positive for doping and Swiss cyclist Alex Zülle has since admitted he and 'about another 20 or so' others consumed stimulants during their time on the team 'under the control of Dr Terrado and a doctor called José'.
Concerning Pau Gasol, the Le Monde article explains how he and his trainer Joaquín Juan approached Dr Terrados 'to study his metabolism and energy production, and to optimise them', before going on to say: “Nicolás Terrados knows all about energy,” as a lead-in to his fine in the 1998 doping scandal.
Adding that the medic had never been involved in professional cycling after that year, the reporter says Dr Terrados opened a sports clinic in Avilés, Asturias and that Pau Gasol had visited him in August.
“The collaboration between Terrados and Gasol has not aroused the slightest excitement in the world of basketball, where doping is not even an issue,” states the blog.
But the very next section is titled 'a minimalist monitoring schedule' and asserts that dope-testing by the FIBA during the recent Euro Basket tournament was 'somewhat laughable', with 'the majority' of the 288 players who took part not having been tested.
“During the final phase, not one player on the French team was tested prior to the match against Turkey; one was pulled out at random in the quarter-final, and two after the semi-final,” the reporter claims.
“Disappointed, the 'Blues' doctor Serge Petuya says: 'In any case, you'd have to be a real idiot to get caught'.”
The blog's author, Clément Guillou, came in for a battering from commenters on the digital version of Le Monde – most of them accusing him of sour grapes, or, 'they beat us, so they must be drugged', as well as, 'first it was the ref, now it's doping'.
None of them missed the fact that the article was written after Spain's victory over France, largely thanks to an impressive 40 points by Pau Gasol, and on the eve of the finals between Spain and Lithuania.
“It's appalling, tainting Gasol's reputation without a shred of evidence,” stormed Miguel Cardenal of Spain's High Council for Sports (CSD).
“We have an anti-doping agency which works with the main agencies in the world, we have two accredited laboratories, and modern legislation on the subject. We have no reserve whatsoever in testing, and claims of this nature are detestable.
“Everyone, every player deserves fame and honour, and launching speculation of this type makes no sense. If anyone can be fully guaranteed as an honest sportsman, Pau Gasol is the one.
“I'm completely confident in him, because he is an icon of sportsmanship. Believing he must have been taking drugs just because he is of a certain age [35 years old] and managed to achieve what he did – well, there are clear arguments that determine his performance and talent.”
The Catalunya-born player, from Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona province) – whose brother Marc is also an NBA star – responded with a touch of humour to the accusations in Le Monde with a photo on Instagram of him and his trainer.
His comment, in Spanish at first, read underneath in English: “Great summer and championship with the great Joaquín Juan! I'm very thankful for his work and dedication. The use of the R200 3f has worked really well for us.”
An R200 3f is a radio-frequency machine used by numerous professional sportsmen and sportswomen to recover their strength ahead of play.
SPAIN'S last-minute win against England in the 2024 UEFA Euros comes on the 60th anniversary of the country's first-ever title in the much-followed competition – and has broken numerous records, too.
A HOLLYWOOD legend joining folk-dancers from Asturias and showing off her fancy footwork in the street is not a scene your average Oviedo resident witnesses during his or her weekly shop. Even though their northern...
