Daphne Schrager: GB Paralympian given two-year ban after failed drugs test

Paralympic medalist Daphne Schrager says she “never cheats” for a banned substance after she was banned for two years.

Schrager, who won a silver medal at Paris 2024, has proven that the banned substance ligandrol selectively builds muscle and bone mass.

However, the ban has been delayed to start on June 2, 2025, when she was initially banned.

It expires on June 1, 2027, which means Schrager can still compete in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. However, she has been left out of England’s squad for the Commonwealth Games currently being held in Glasgow.

The substance was discovered after the 25-year-old completed an out-of-season test last year.

The National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) argued that Schrager was exposed to environmental contamination under two possible conditions.

She said she may have been infected at a gym where she attended to receive a massage or at a shared home address.

However, the NADP Tribunal did not establish that while Schrager did not intentionally use a banned substance, she was an unwitting polluter.

In a long statement on Instagram, ExternalSchrager said she paid for hair and nail analysis in an attempt to prove her innocence — but was denied because the exact source of the contamination could not be determined.

“In June of last year, I received news that devastated the world,” she says. “I tested positive for Ligandrol at an anti-doping test of 0.0006ng, which has since banned me from cycling.

“I want to be very clear: I have never cheated or knowingly taken any banned substances. Facing the possibility of a four-year ban until I could prove that the consequences were unintentional was incredibly stressful.”

Schrager confirmed that she did not intentionally use or ingest the panel, and that the correct diagnosis was attributed to accidental environmental contamination from one minute of ligandrol.

She claims that trace amounts of ligandrol do not give her any performance benefits. As a result, none of her results were rejected.

“In cases like mine, when an athlete learns of a positive test, the rules require a lot of time to identify the source of the contamination,” Schrager added. “This is not a failure of loyalty or effort, it is a very heavy burden to fulfill in any situation.”

“This is one of the most difficult times of my life. Losing my contract, losing my team and the structure that has shaped my purpose and identity for so long has plunged me into a level of doubt I’ve never known.”

Schrager, who has cerebral palsy, says the impact on her mental health is “significant and sometimes overwhelming” but has vowed to return to work by 2027.

She won Team GB’s first medal at the 2024 Paralympics. with silver in the women’s C1-3 3000m individual pursuit.

She won two gold medals at the Para-Cycle Road World Cup. In May 2025 In the C2 section – after a month before the suspension.