Swiss triathlete Imogen Simmonds claims banned muscle-building drug found in her system came from intimate contact with her secretly doping boyfriend.
Swiss triathlete Imogen Simmonds has a drug problem. Her urine contains Ligandrol, and she claims it got there through sex.
The seventh-ranked middle and long-distance triathlete tested positive for the banned muscle-building drug on December 8, 2024, just days before finishing fourth at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand. She now faces a provisional suspension that derails her 2025 season plans and threatens her career.
Simmonds broke the news herself on Instagram Tuesday morning, hours before the International Testing Agency made its official announcement.
The Defence: "It Wasn't Me, It Was Him"
Simmonds vehemently denies taking Ligandrol. Instead, she claims the substance entered her system when she had sex with her long-term partner—who she says was secretly doping himself.
"I was stunned and devastated when the test came back positive," Simmonds stated. "I had no idea what the substance was or how it could have got into my system."
According to her statement, her partner was "ingesting ligandrol to help improve his own personal physique" without her knowledge. She claims hair sample tests prove it: her hair tested negative while his tested positive.
The timeline she presents is specific: negative doping test six days before December 8, intimate relations with her partner "both the day of and day before" her December 8 test, then another negative test 22 days later.
"My legal team and I have concluded that this substance got into my system via the transfer of bodily fluid during such intimate relations," Simmonds insists.
The International Testing Agency confirms the B-sample also tested positive, but has not commented on Simmonds' bodily fluid defense.
What Is Ligandrol? Muscle-Builder With Risks
Ligandrol (LGD-4033) is a black market muscle drug that delivers steroid-like gains without the obvious side effects. It belongs to selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), compounds designed to target muscle and bone tissue while supposedly avoiding impacts on other organs.
The drug binds to androgen receptors in muscle cells, triggering rapid protein synthesis and nitrogen retention. Users report significant strength and lean muscle gains within weeks, making it appealing to bodybuilders and athletes seeking performance advantages.
Though Ligandrol remains in clinical trials for treating muscle wasting diseases, it has never been approved for human consumption. The FDA has actively warned against SARMs, linking them to:
- Liver damage and potential liver failure
- Increased heart attack and stroke risk
- Psychiatric effects including hallucinations
- Hormonal disruption and reproductive harm
These risks haven't stopped underground suppliers from selling it as a "research chemical" or supplement, often with misleading labels.
The picogram amounts found in Simmonds' sample—which she describes as "equivalent to a dash of salt in an Olympic-size swimming pool"—are enough to trigger a positive test, but unlikely to deliver performance benefits.
Consequences: Career In Jeopardy
Simmonds now faces a racing ban that could upend her career. Her provisional suspension blocks her from competing in any World Anti-Doping Agency signatory events—essentially all professional triathlon competitions worldwide.
Her fourth-place finish at the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championships is in jeopardy, along with prize money and ranking points earned after the sample collection.
This comes after Simmonds secured a contracted place for the 2025 T100 Triathlon World Tour by finishing ninth overall last season. That contract is now frozen during her suspension.
Simmonds Doubles Down On Innocence
Simmonds has hired what she calls "the best expert in the world" to prove her case. Her statement repeatedly emphasizes her clean testing history and commitment to drug-free competition.
"I have been tested regularly both in and out of competition for the last several years and have always returned negative results," she stated. "This case has been a nightmare for me and something I never imagined I'd have to deal with in my lifetime."
She frames herself as a victim, not just of contamination but of a sporting culture that places absolute responsibility on athletes regardless of intent.
"I take my anti-doping obligations seriously and am a true believer in clean sport, so to have my name be associated with a banned substance is heartbreaking," she said. "I hope my story can help raise awareness of this form of contamination."
The Strict Liability Problem
Despite her protests, Simmonds faces anti-doping rules that don't care how the drug got there—only that it's present.
Ironman's anti-doping rules state bluntly: "It is the Athletes' personal duty to ensure that no Prohibited Substance enters their bodies... it is not necessary that intent, Fault, Negligence or knowing Use on the Athlete's part be demonstrated."
This strict liability principle has ended careers even when athletes proved contamination was unintentional. The burden falls entirely on Simmonds to prove not only that she didn't knowingly take Ligandrol, but that she exercised all possible caution against contamination.
The question now: Will anti-doping authorities accept that sex with her doping partner was truly beyond her control?
Triathlon's Growing Doping Problem
The Simmonds case follows other recent high-profile doping incidents in triathlon. Mexican Tomas Rodrigues Hernandez received a two-year suspension after testing positive for clomiphene in 2024, while American Collin Chartier admitted to EPO use in 2023.
Shawn Smith
Each case drives another nail into the coffin of triathlon's clean image, leaving fans to wonder who will test positive next in a sport where the margins between winning and losing are measured in seconds, and—apparently—the margins between clean and dirty can be measured in bodily fluids.
For now, Simmonds waits for judgment, her career suspended along with her eligibility to race.
"I kindly ask that you give me and those around me space as I work through the legal process to establish my innocence," she concludes, "which I am confident I will do."
History suggests that confidence may be misplaced.
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