MOSCOW, April 12 Elizaveta Demina, a Russian tennis player suspended for doping, admitted that her trainer advised her to take a banned substance. In early April, Demina was disqualified for three years for using meldonium. The suspension of the athlete will last until January 2025.
"The coach gave a lot of advice, was like family to me, trained status athletes. Everyone knew he was making a lot of good players. Two months before the tournament in Kazan, he told me that I needed to buy mildronat, assured me that all professional athletes drink it and they don’t show anything. And if there is some kind of check, then you need to drink a glass of champagne, and everything will be fine", said the tennis player, who is quoted by "Match TV".
According to Demina, the coach assured her that the drug is excreted from the body within two weeks, and asked to use a larger dose, «so that it works faster.»