GB Paralympian Schrager given two-year ban after failed drug test
British Paralympic medallist Daphne Schrager has been handed a two-year ban after testing positive for a banned substance, which she claims was caused by environmental contamination. She insists she has never cheated.
Paralympic medallist Daphne Schrager has received a two-year ban following an unintentional positive test for the banned substance Ligandrol, which promotes muscle and bone growth. The 25-year-old maintains she has never knowingly taken any prohibited substances.
The suspension has been backdated to 2 June 2025, when she was initially provisionally suspended, and will end on 1 June 2027. This means Schrager could still compete at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. However, she has been excluded from the England squad for the Commonwealth Games currently taking place in Glasgow.
The substance was detected during an out-of-competition test last year. UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) said Schrager argued that she had been exposed to environmental contamination, presenting two possible scenarios: contamination at a gym where she received a massage, or at a shared residence.
A UKAD tribunal found that Schrager had not intentionally used a banned substance but failed to prove that the positive test resulted from inadvertent environmental contamination. In a statement on Instagram, Schrager said she had paid for hair and nail analysis in an attempt to prove her innocence, but because the exact source of contamination could not be identified, she was banned.
Schrager emphasised that the panel confirmed she did not intentionally ingest Ligandrol and that she had demonstrated the positive test was due to a minute trace of inadvertent environmental contamination. The trace amount was 0.0006 nanograms, which she argued provided no performance advantage. Consequently, none of her results have been disqualified.
Schrager, who has cerebral palsy, described the period as one of the most difficult of her life. She lost her contract, her team, and the structure that gave her purpose, significantly impacting her mental health. Nevertheless, she vowed to return to competition in 2027.
She won Team GB's first medal at the 2024 Paralympics, a silver in the women's C1-3 3000m individual pursuit. In May 2025, she claimed two gold medals at the Para-cycling Road World Cup in the C2 class, before being suspended a month later.
