I just love the way Maria never acknowledges her enemies like Bouchard and their nasty remarks. The way she handles each question with singular elegance..oh what superior intelligence.CALM AND FEARLESS.
Come on guys, what she says is true, many athletes took it because it was legal. Meldonium was banned in January 2016... and she was suspended only a month and a half later because she didn't know it.
Whatever she took, or didn't take, chances are high that the rest of them are taking meldonium or other performance enhancers and not being detected. That doesn't make it right though. Her story about a heart defect doesn't tally with other claims that she took it because of a magnesium deficiency because of a family history of diabetes. Meldonium increases blood flow which helps stamina. WADA banned it because of this. Meldonium was added to the banned list in September 2015 and this ban was effective in January 2016. Her claims that she didn't know it was a performance enhancer, that her medical team did not know this or that it was declared banned in September 2015, is an insult to people's intelligence.
Thank you, Maria for another inspirational interview and for your unbelievable patience toward repetitive superficial questions. I am surprised by journalists. You folks have a multitalented world champion sitting in front of you who would answer any question. There is a world of fabulous questions you can ask and all of you have been repeating the things about the ban and grunting for all these months. Learn to move on. Learn to be creative and learn to ask better questions. Grunting is a forced exhale that is very common in Tennis. I have never heard any journalist bother any male player because of their grunting. Thank you for not being sexist! It is the body and personal physics that make some athletes have a louder exhale. It takes pressure off the chest, it is an involuntary physiological mechanism of breathing.
Look, research into performance enhancing drugs have been going on before she was born. She knew she was cheating. But she'll die early on because that drug stressed her heart out! The real question is, is she still taking a medication for her heart?
