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If you’re keen on sports betting, then you should be aware of the athletes caught cheating, so you don’t bet your money on someone sure to lose. Find out who are the athletes who have cheated their way to win. Read on.
Most athletes devote their time and effort to be in the best shape so they can win their fights. They would often have special diets and strict workout regimens. However, some situations can cause them to go down the path of cheating. Most of them would cheat out of frustration when they realise they are going to lose. Some athletes caught cheating were found to do so because they found a much better deal from gamblers and even the mafia. So who are the athletes caught cheating? Here are some of them:
Athletes Caught Cheating to Win
1. The 2000 Spanish Paralympics Team
Paralympics events happen to give a chance for the disabled to compete despite their shortcomings. This means they have the opportunity to show off what they can do in a level field. However, the 2000 Spanish Paralympics team took advantage of the fact that their opponents have disabilities. The team, which had 12 members, had won the gold. Sadly, only two of the athletes were proven to be mentally disabled. This means that 10 of the team members were completely normal and robbed other athletes of the chance to compete fair and square.
2. Stella Walsh
One of the athletes caught cheating is Stell Walsh. Her case, though, is a bit tricky. The Polish athlete is known for winning a number of gold medals in the 1932 Summer Olympics. It was found out that the multi-medal athlete had both XY and XX chromosomes and ambiguous genitalia, which put her at an advantage over her competitors during the sprinting event. While she may not be faulted for having the chromosomes, it was known that Walsh knew of her biological advantage but did not bother informing sporting officials.
3. Rosie Ruiz
Back in the 80s, many women do not necessarily join marathons. But Rosie Ruiz made history by becoming the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon. Due to this impressive feat, Ruiz was awarded a laurel wreath and was even celebrated for being the fastest woman in Boston. She recorded a time of 2:31:56, which was the third-fastest time ever recorded in a marathon by a female runner.
The Cuban-American, however, was stripped off of her win as officials discovered that she did register for the marathon but did not run the entire course. Suspicions arose because Ruiz was noted to forget many things that most runners are familiar with. Others also observed did not sweat much or pant after the long run. According to reports, Ruiz joined the bystander crowd and only joined the course about a half-mile from the finish line.
It seems that the Boston Marathon isn’t the only time Ruiz had committed ill-doings. She was later arrested for embezzling as much as $60,000 from work. She was also arrested in 1983 for her participation in a cocaine deal.
4. Fred Lorz
Another one of the athletes caught cheating was Fred Lorz. Lorz is an American long-distance runner. He was famous for winning the 1905 Boston Marathon. However, before that, Lorz was notable for cheating his way to winning in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St. Louis. In the said competition, Lorz was able to cross the finish mark within 3 hours and 13 minutes, considered way faster than any of his competitors.
It was found that Lorz had already stopped running at the 9-mile mark due to exhaustion. He was given a car lift for the next 11 miles and continued on foot to reach the Olympic stadium. He broke the finish line tape and was declared the winner. Due to his cheating scandal, the Amateur Athletic Union gave him a lifetime ban, which was taken back after Lorz apologised and said that he did not intend to cheat.
5. Marion Jones
One of the astonishing athletes caught cheating is Marion Jones. The world champion track and field athlete was also previously a professional basketball player who played for Tulsa Shock. She was notable for winning three gold and two bronze medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney. She is also among the most famous athletes caught cheating and involved in the BALCO scandal.
Jones admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, leading to the stripping of her medals. Jones was able to retain three titles she earned from 1997 to 1999.
6. Antonio Margarito
Antonio Margarito is a professional boxer who is among the athletes caught cheating during his career. He actively competed from 1994 to 2017 and has fought many popular foes of his time. His cheating scandal happened in 2009 when boxing officials confiscated his wraps after they had suspicion on the substance on the interior lining of the moist pads of his gloves. The investigation was spurred when the corner of Shane Mosley, Margarito’s opponent then, noted that the Mexican-American’s gloves had too much wrap.
After the fight, it was found that the wrap was soaked in gypsum that hardens to become Plaster of Paris when combined with moisture. This compound helped harden the wraps and could cause blunt-force trauma to his opponent. Margarito was suspended after the incident, and many boxing enthusiasts questioned whether he had used the same tactic with his earlier fights. He retired in 2012 after suffering several losses to Manny Pacquiao but came back to have three more fights before finally retiring in 2017.
7. Danny Almonte
Many baseball enthusiasts flock to watch and support the Little League World Series because it offers them innocent and clean fun. However, everything changed in 2001 when a coach was discovered to have forged Danny Almonte’s birth certificate.
Danny Almonte was famous for being the Little League pitcher capable of throwing a 79 mile per hour ball. He was considered to be the person responsible for leading his Bronx team to finish third place during the 2001 Little League World Series.
His skill took the baseball team by surprise. That’s why the other teams in participation hired a private investigator to find out Almonte’s actual age. Apparently, it was found that Almonte is two years older to play for the said series.
To date, Almonte serves as the assistant baseball coach of the Cardinal Hayes High School in New York City.
8. Gaylord Perry
Another one of the baseball athletes caught cheating is Hall of Famer pitcher Gaylord Perry. Perry is known to be intimidating and dominating while on the field. On top of that, he is also famous for being a cheater. Many said the pitcher would add Vaseline to different parts of his uniform. The Vaseline would then allow him to throw a “spit ball,” which was considered to be illegal because it was difficult to control the pitch destination.
9. Alex Rodriguez
Before Alex Rodriguez or A-Rod became famous for being Jennifer Lopez’s ex-fiance, he was known for tipping pitches to his team’s opponents, particularly for lopsided games. His actions were disconcerting because the teams would often play up to three times in a given season and at least two times per season.
Rodriguez would do this as part of the slump-busting to help him boost his statistics when they were slumping. It’s a disgraceful act for an athlete because it betrays his team and teammates for his personal gain.
10. East German Olympic Female Swimmers (1968-1980)
Olympic officials have found that more than 10,000 professional swimmers from Germany were involved in doping programs. The said program targeted athletes competing for the Olympics from 1968 to 1980.
The East German women’s swimming team dominated international swimming for almost two decades because of an organised system of performance-enhancing drugs use. The coaches admitted to their wrongdoing on December 2, 1991. While none of the swimmers was ever caught or penalised for anabolic steroid use, what they did remain an outrageous form of cheating.
11. Tim Donaghy
While he may not be among the athletes caught cheating, Tim Donaghy’s actions on the court affected the sporting world. The former National Basketball Association (NBA) referee was found to have intentionally made false calls or failed to make calls from 2005 to 2007 to win bets on the point spread of the NBA games. Donaghy was later on investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and was sentenced to spend 15 months in prison. Donaghy’s actions were a clear example of how not to make sports bets as it would constitute a dirty win.
12. Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield have been tough contenders in the ring. Holyfield had already defeated Tyson for the World Heavyweight Championship. During their rematch, Tyson knew he could not beat Holyfield, so he had to resort to cheating to gain an advantage by biting off his opponent’s ear. Holyfield lost a bit of his ear, and the fight was eventually called off.
13. Tonya Harding
One of the athletes caught cheating that disgusted the nation was Tonya Harding. Harding was an American skater known for being the first American to land a triple Axel and the second woman to do it in history. She also competed in the Olympics twice and won two Skate America Championships. She is also known for orchestrating an attack on her competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, during a practice session for the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships.
It was found that Harding and her former husband, Jeff Gillooly, worked with Shane Stant and Shawn Eckhardt to break her right knee. The goal was to seriously injure the 1993 Nationals champion so she cannot defend her title or compete for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Harding, later on, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution, causing the U.S. Figure Skating Association to ban her for life.
Any of these athletes caught cheating surprised you? Let us know in the comments below!
