German Bowler Stripped of Medal for Doping

For today’s article, we’d usually be doing our usual Throwback Thursday piece, but something interesting — that happens to be a first for our sport — needs to be addressed.

In many sports, virtually every other sport, doping has been a common topic — especially in Major League Baseball. But, up until this point, bowling has never had an issue with it.

Until now, that is.

German bowler, and 2017 World Games gold medalist, Laura Beuthner tested positive for a banned drug at the 2017 World Games. The drug, itself, is known as a masking agent, typically used to hide other drugs.

At the 2017 World Games, Beuthner defeated Kelly Kulick in the finals to claim the gold medal.

After the win, Beuthner was subject to a random drug test, as many athletes were, and she failed — twice.

As per the rules, Beuthner has been stripped of her gold medal, handing the gold over to Kelly Kulick.

The thought of doping in bowling isn’t really something I have ever thought about being an issue. Bowling certainly isn’t the first sport that comes to mind when you think of doping, and it certainly doesn’t have the most to gain from doping, either.

But, that being said, bowling is a sport. And in sports, competitors will always seek to get an upper hand on their competitors. And people will always push boundaries. And, sometimes, people will cross said boundaries in order to succeed.

Does doping in bowling really have that big of an effect on ones performance? I’m not so sure. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. But that didn’t stop this from happening. And it likely won’t stop it from happening again, eventually.

For all we know, Beuthner might not be the first bowler to dope. But, she’s the first one to get caught. Will she be the last? Only time — and drug tests — will tell.

So what are your thoughts on this? Is doping a big advantage in bowling? Are steroids, going forward, going to become a part of the sport? Let us know in the comments below!

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