Lance Armstrong. His name is synonymous with success. It would be hard to find something this man has failed to succeed at once he tried.
Champion of cycling’s most prestigious and sought after title, the Tour de France? Check. In fact, he didn’t win just once, but seven times, setting an all time record.
Diagnosed with and survived testicular cancer? Check. And then went on to win all seven titles.
Creator and endorser of a national corporation to help others with cancer of any type? Check. The Lance Armstrong Foundation, commonly known as Livestrong, has raised almost $500 million for cancer victims and their families, according to his statement.
Involved father of five? Check. Despite a divorce and constant media battles, this man seems to be continuously focused on his foundation and his children.
Named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year? Check. And not just once, but four years straight, from 2002-2005.
Most drug-tested athlete of all time? Check. And he has passed every single test without a hint of drugs in his system.
Even with all these accomplishments, Armstrong has been forced to the breaking point in the witch hunt set against him by Travis Tygart, Chief Executive Officer of the United States Anti-Doping Agency. The USADA accused Armstrong in June of using and possessing performance enhancing drugs and covering up doping charges. The USADA has stripped Armstrong of all seven of his Tour de France titles, his Olympic bronze medal and every other win from 1998 to the present. Armstrong announced in a statement on Aug. 23 that after the three-year fight with the USADA, “enough is enough.”
“I refuse to participate in a process that is so one- sided and unfair,” Armstrong said in his statement. “Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?”
In spite of all the hype over the past months, nothing will be set in stone until the World Anti- Doping Agency and the International Cycling Union have their chance at the case.
“USADA must deliver a report to both the UCI and WADA outlining the reasons for its decision in the Lance Armstrong case,” Senior Manager of Media Relations and Communications for WADA Terence O’Rorke said. “And once WADA has received this report it will review it thoroughly and decide whether it needs to exercise its right of appeal.”
Lance Armstrong is the example of an American hero. He has trained and competed in the worst possible circumstances: from the weather to his physical health. He uses his celebrity status to do something worthwhile in the world and continuously hopes to help as many families dealing with cancer as possible.
It is wrong of the USADA to accuse Armstrong without recent and accurate evidence. They have brought 17-year-old charges against him, despite their own eight-year statute of limitations. Armstrong should not be looked at with accusation but with reverence for the trials he has endured over the years and the poise he has shown throughout his entire professional career.
“I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours,” Armstrong said in his statement. “We all raced together. For three weeks over the same roads, the same mountains, and against all the weather and elements that we had to confront. There were no shortcuts, there was no special treatment. The same courses, the same rules. The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially not Travis Tygart.”